Percival was Prime Minister from 1809 until he was assassinated in the lobby of the House of Commons on 11 May 1812 (the only time this fate has befallen a British Prime Minister). This portrait was created posthumously from a death mask taken by the sculptor Joseph Nollekens (1773-1857); an engraving of the design was published in 1812; Joseph exhibited a portrait of Percival at the Royal Academy in 1813. There are many versions of the design surviving today and it is not possible to say for certain which one was exhibited at the Academy or formed the model for the 1812 print. This one, which appears to be autograph, was received at Carlton House by George IV in 1814. The artist has stressed the qualities of the sitter which were especially remarked upon after his violent death – his benevolence, affection for his large family and generosity towards charitable causes.