State portraits were commissioned when a monarch succeeded to the throne, and were designed to present the king or queen to their subjects. This portrait of the newly crowned George III (r.1760–1820) was painted by Allan Ramsay (1713–84), Principal Painter to the King. Ramsay depicts the King in his coronation robes with the crown as the symbol of his royal authority to the right, and with a column to the left, representing strong leadership.

State portraits were copied, reproduced, and issued as the official portrait of the monarch. There was a huge demand for copies of Ramsay's portrait of the King and he described his studio as being ‘crowded with portraits of His Majesty in every stage of their operation’.