Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) painter and 1st President...
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) painter and 1st President of Royal Academy
Oil on canvas. Sir Joshua Reynolds, President of the Royal Academy, wears the robes of a Doctor of Law, the honorary degree he was awarded in in July 1773. In his right hand he clutches a roll of drawings by Michelangelo. Reynolds painted several versions of his self-portrait in doctoral robes. This replica portrait by his pupil, James Northcote, is apparently copied from the version of 1775, now in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence. A larger version, which also includes a bust of Michelangelo, is in the collection of the Royal Academy.