This engraved portrait depicts the English naturalist John Ray. He appears as an elderly man with long, wavy hair, a thin mustache, and a small tuft of hair below his lower lip. He wears the academic or clerical robes of the period with a white falling band collar. The portrait is held within a large oval frame made of textured, reed-like material bound with ribbons. Below the oval, an ornate, curling scroll provides his name and biographical details. The names of the original painter, William Faithorne, and the engraver, Abraham de Blois, appear at the bottom edges of the scroll.

JOHN RAY

Fellow of the Royal Society,

Painted by W. Faithorne.

Engraved by A. de Blois.

Notley refers to Black Notley, where Ray was born and eventually died.

Joannes Rajus: The Latinized name of John Ray (1627–1705), a foundational figure in modern taxonomy.
Societas Regia: The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, of which Ray was a prominent early member.