Portrait study of Sir Moses Haim Montefiore (1784-1885), half-length, seated at a table

The son of two second-generation Italian immigrants, Montefiore joined the London stock exchange in 1803 and his success was in part secured through his marriage on 10 June 1812 to Judith (1784-1862), a daughter of Levi Barent Cohen and the sister-in-law of Nathan Mayer Rothschild, which led to his becoming Rothschild's stockbroker. Montefiore remained a member of the London stock exchange until 1845, but his business interests had by then widened considerably. By the time of Rothschild's death in 1836 Montefiore had himself amassed a very large fortune, so large that he was able gradually to retire from business and thenceforth devoted himself to philanthropy. His position as President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews from 1835-1874, a period of 39 years, the longest tenure ever, provided him with a unparalleled platform by which to campaign for the alleviation the distress of Jews all over the world, and champion unbending religious orthodoxy. The present watercolour may have been commissioned as a retirement present after his years of hard work. A captain in the Surrey local militia (1809-14), he served as Sheriff of the City of London (1837-8), was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1837, and was created a baronet in 1846.