Joshua Reynolds: Experiments in Paint – exhibition at the Wallace Collection
Mrs Mary Robinson by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1783-4) © The Wallace Collection
Joshua Reynolds: Experiments in Paint was an exhibition at the Wallace Collection in London in 2015.
It comprised two rooms displaying 20 Reynolds paintings – 11 belonging to the Wallace Collection and the remainder on loan.
The exhibition was the culmination of a four-year research project into the Reynolds paintings owned by the Wallace. Using various techniques including X-ray and infrared imaging, the paintings were investigated by experts at the Wallace with advice from the National Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art.
Popular and experimental
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was a very fashionable portrait painter during the second half of the 18th century and the first President of the Royal Academy.
X-ray image of the portrait of Mary Robinson shown above. The X-ray shows that Mary's hand was originally painted supporting her chin
The research gave new insights into the way that Reynolds painted. Some of the images produced during the research were on display alongside the actual paintings. These revealed earlier details, from the position of Mary's hand, shown above, to old paintings that had been painted over.
The X-ray image of the Yale Center's portrait of Mary Robinson shown below reveals that the painting was not Reynold’s first attempt, but that underneath the existing painting is another, earlier painting, upside down.
X-ray image of the Yale Center's portrait of Mary Robinson shown below. The X-ray shows another portrait that has been painted over.
Early paintings
The paintings on display included some of Reynold's earliest work such as his self-portrait, painted c1747-9, before he went on the Grand Tour and a canvas entitled Studio Experiments in Colour and Media.
Self-portrait Shading the Eyes by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1747-9) © The National Portrait Gallery, London
Studio Experiments in Colour and Media © Royal Academy of Arts, London
Fancy paintings
The exhibition included a number of fancy paintings – imaginative paintings of people, representing ideas rather than intended as portraits. These included The Strawberry Girl and The Age of Innocence.
The Strawberry Girl by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1772-3) © The Wallace Collection
The Age of Innocence by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1788) © The Tate
Portraits
I particularly liked the two paintings of Mary Robinson, probably because she is the character with whom I am most familiar. The portrait owned by the Wallace Collection is shown at the top of this blog post and is very similar to that owned by the Yale Center for British Art (shown below) although this latter portrait is less finished.
Mrs Mary Robinson by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1783-5) © The Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
4th Duke of Queensbury ('Old Q') as Earl of March by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1759) © The Wallace Collection
Miss Jane Bowles by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1775) © The Wallace Collection
Miss Nelly O'Brien by Sir Joshua Reynolds (c1762-4) © The Wallace Collection
There was a second portrait of Miss Nelly O'Brien and a lovely portrait of Miss Kitty Fisher which were on loan and could not be photographed.
Mrs Susanna Hoare and Child by Sir Joshua Reynolds (c1763-4) © The Wallace Collection
Mrs Mary Nesbitt by Sir Joshua Reynolds (c1781) © The Wallace Collection
Reynolds sometimes depicted his sitters in character, such as Mrs Abington as Miss Prue in Love for Love by William Congreve (below).
Mrs Abington as Miss Prue by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1771) © The Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
The Wallace Collection is in Hertford House in Manchester Square, London and is open every day from 10am to 5pm. Admission to the museum is free.
Rachel Knowles writes faith-based Regency romance and historical non-fiction. She has been sharing her research on this blog since 2011. Rachel lives in the beautiful Georgian seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, on the south coast of England, with her husband, Andrew, who co-writes this blog.
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All photos © Andrew Knowles & Regency History.
