Sir Joshua Reynolds was born at Plympton Earl in Devonshire, England in 1723. In 1740, after acknowledging the precocity of his talent, he was sent by his father to London, where he studied with Thomas Hudson, a competent but totally uninspired specialist in portraits. He worked in Plymouth Dock, London and Devonshire before sailing for Italy in 1750. The two years he spent there had a profound influence upon him and his subsequent career. His lifelong admiration for Michelangelo, Raphael, Guido Reni, Corregio, and Titian stemmed from this sojourn. From them he was later to borrow his poses, coloring and technical innovations.

From the moment Reynolds set up business in London in 1753, until his left eye went blind in 1789, he enjoye...