Self-portrait by Studio of Sir Joshua Reynolds

This portrait was described by contemporaries of the leading English portraitist, Joshua Reynolds (1723-92), as a true likeness of the, by then, aging artist. Reynolds painted 27 self-portraits during his lifetime, and this is a copy of his penultimate one – likely made by a member of his busy studio. When Reynolds painted the original portrait, around the age of 65, he was suffering with serious issues with his eyesight – resulting in the loss of his sight in his left eye the following year. Reynolds looks out at the viewer through his so-called ‘wig spectacles’. With their elongated, double-jointed arms, the glasses were designed to reach comfortably around Reynolds' wigged head. In the original self-portrait, Reynolds’ left arm is raised, as if in the act of painting, while here the arm has been lowered – more appropriate perhaps for a copy.

Reynolds returned to London to set up his studio after spending the years 1749-52 abroad, mainly in Italy. He was elected as the first President of the Royal Academy of Arts, when it was founded in London in 1768, and was principal painter to King George III (1738-1820) who knighted him in 1769. Reynolds was a key figure in the intellectual life of London, and author of the influential Discourses on Art – a series of lectures, delivered to artists at the Royal Academy, on the history, theory and practice of art. Although Reynolds was losing his sight by the time of this portrait, the inclusion of the spectacles help to create an impression of Reynolds as a learned man.