Sir Joshua Reynolds

Self-Portrait when Young

1753–8

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Not on display

Artist: Sir Joshua Reynolds 1723–1792
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions: Support: 737 × 616 mm
frame: 933 × 805 × 95 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Purchased 1871
Reference: N00889

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This self-portrait was probably painted soon after Reynolds set up a studio in London in 1753. He had spent the previous three years studying art in Italy.

The personal connections and artistic ambitions Reynolds developed when he was abroad served him well. These years marked the beginning of a carefully-managed and hugely successful career. This self-portrait, which deliberately echoes famous

images by Rembrandt, signals his artistic aspirations. Such posturing struck a chord with London’s fashionable and aristocratic society, who wanted portraits that would flatter their growing cultural pretensions.

Gallery label, August 2004

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