Arthur Devis (1712-1787) was an English painter from a family of carpenters and booksellers during the period of Classicism. In 1728, he illustrated a novel by Sir Walter Scott. He was a pupil of Peter Tillemanse, whom he helped with custom landscape paintings. However, they did not fulfil his expectations, and from 1737, he began work as a portraitist ( Gentleman with a Gun). He founded his own art studio in Great Queen Street, London. His reputation grew rapidly, and commissions poured in. Ten years before his death, his work began to be regarded as old-fashioned, especially in comparison to artists like Johann Zoffany.