Sir Joshua Reynolds

Self-Portrait when Young

1753–8

Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)

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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

Display caption

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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