The National Library of Wales is based in Aberystwyth, overlooking the Ceredigion Coast. The paintings collection is focused around Welsh subject matter, Welsh portraits and Welsh artists. From the start the emphasis was to create a collection of works which represented specifically the place of Wales and the Welsh nation within history and the world. It is rich and varied. Two highlights of the early collection are the portraits 'Thomas Charles of Bala (1755–1814)' by William Roos, gifted by the artist Buddig Pughe, and Brenda Chamberlain’s 'Peter Kahn'.