Sir Joshua Reynolds, PRA

Northcote's portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds, painted in the 1780s, depicts his master and the first president of the Royal Academy. As Reynolds's most devoted pupil and eventual biographer, Northcote was uniquely positioned to capture the great portrait painter's likeness. Reynolds had transformed British art by elevating portraiture through classical allusion and intellectual ambition, and Northcote venerated him throughout his long career.

Northcote's technique here pays homage to Reynolds's own portrait style, with warm tones and dignified composition. The handling of the face shows careful observation of Reynolds's features, though the execution lacks the effortless authority of the master's own self-portraits.