Sir Joshua Reynolds

Sketch for ‘The 4th Duke of Marlborough and his Family’

c.1777

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

License this image

Not on display

Artist: Sir Joshua Reynolds 1723–1792
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions: Support: 552 x 508 mm
frame: 761 x 719 x 85 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Bequeathed by Henry Vaughan 1900
Reference: N01840

Display caption

Reynolds rarely made preliminary sketches even for complex compositions. But the magnificent group of the family of the Duke of Marlborough, which still dominates the Red Drawing Room at Blenheim Palace, was clearly an exception. Conceived in the grandest traditions of Rubens and Van Dyck, it was to influence society portraiture into this century. This sketch shows the painter struggling with the problem of integrating the solemn splendour of the adults with a more modern, relaxed informality preferred for young children and dogs. The end result shows brilliantly the range of Reynolds's wit and originality as a portraitist.

Gallery label, September 2004

Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.

Explore

architecture(41,339)
- features(8,916)
- - arch(922)
  - door(601)
interiors(4,562)
- domestic(1,823)
- - interior - non-specific(850)
nature(45,215)
- animals: mammals(4,859)
- - dog - non-specific(1,046)
- landscape(25,913)
- - estate(335)
objects(23,378)
- furnishings(3,103)
- - curtain(257)
people(35,143)
- adults(22,737)
- - man(10,498)
  - woman(9,056)
- children(3,423)
- - child(1,322)
- named families(105)
- - Spencer family(1)
- named individuals(12,533)
- - Marlborough, George Spencer, 4th Duke of(1)
- portraits(4,470)
- - groups(335)
society(34,906)
- family(4,136)
- - family(1,065)

You might like

Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn and his Mother

c.1768–9

On display at Tate Britain part of Walk Through British Art
Sir Joshua Reynolds The Holy Family with the Infant St John

1788–9
Sir Joshua Reynolds Lord and Lady Ashburton

1782–7
Richard Cosway Portrait of a Gentleman, his Wife and Sister, in the Character of Fortitude introducing Hope as the Companion to Distress (‘The Witts Family Group’)

c.1775
Thomas Gainsborough The Baillie Family

c.1784
Sir Joshua Reynolds Lady Talbot

exhibited 1782

On display at Tate Britain part of Walk Through British Art
Johan Zoffany Colonel Blair with his Family and an Indian Ayah

1786
Sir Joshua Reynolds Master Crewe as Henry VIII

c.1775
Sir Joshua Reynolds Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle

1769
Sir Joshua Reynolds The Hon. Miss Monckton

1777–8
Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir James Hodges

1765
Francis Wheatley A Family Group in a Landscape

c.1775
John Singleton Copley The Fountaine Family

?1776
John Hamilton Mortimer George Thompson, his Wife and (?) his Sister-in-Law

c.1766–8
Sir Joshua Reynolds Mr Huddesford and Mr Bampfylde

c.1778