What is the most likely reason that the artist of this portrait depicted merchant Daniel Boardman as ...

What is the most likely reason that the artist of this portrait depicted merchant Daniel Boardman as a country gentleman?
 
  A) Merchants preferred to be shown in grand style, whether or not this was accurate.
  B) Visual images in the portrait that represented his role as a merchant emphasized his success.
  C) The life of a prosperous merchant was not perceived as being most compatible with
  republican virtue.
  D) By presenting himself as a simple working man, Boardman believed he would gain more
  business from his customers.