The Honorable Henry Fane (1739–1802) with Inigo Jones and Charles Blair

The painter and scholarly aesthetician Sir Joshua Reynolds was both a guiding force and one of the defining artists of 18th century England. Born in 1723 in Plympton, Devon, England, Reynolds showed an early interest in classical art and literature. In 1740, the young artist became an apprentice to the portraitist Thomas Hudson in London, for whom he worked for four years. Following a brief return to Devon, in 1744 Reynolds returned to London and began devoting his time to the study of Old Master painting, and the development of his own style and technique of painting.

London