Politics, people and preservation are closely linked in the collection. the portraits cover a vast area - some officially commissions, some presented or bequeathed - including politicians, military and naval commanders, and other people associated with the process of defending the United Kingdom over four hundred years.
The MOD Art Collection includes several hundred portraits of varying finesse and interest.
All, even those of a lesser artistic technique and political sophistication, are cherished and hung in locations appropriate to their subjects.
No introduction to the MOD Art Collection would be complete without mention of Nelson; this portrait, by the Neopolitan artist Leonardo Guzzardi, hangs in the Admiralty Board Room off Whitehall.
This work was originally owned by Sir William Hamilton; after his death it found its way, via a nephew, to a hotel in Milford Haven - from where it was bought by the Admiralty Board in 1847 in order to balance a portrait of William IV.
Hamilton said, of this work, 'It is, of my friend, the most like'. Lord Nelson's physical appearnce has been the subject of scholarly debate for many years. This portrait is therefore particularly significant in this connection.