Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A. (Plympton 1723-1792 London)

A friend and patron of the artist, Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds, was a great admirer of Reynolds' 'fancy pictures'; the present work is one of three he purchased at Reynolds' posthumous studio sale in 1796 for Hornby Castle, Leeds, the seat of the Dukes of Leeds. It was listed in the 1898 inventory of pictures (op. cit.), as hanging in the 'First Drawing Room' along with a character study of a young boy entitled Edwin (Christie's, London, 3 December 2013, lot 43, £500,000), a work described as Child and Angels (Christie's, London, 4 December 2013, lot 181), and the Infant Moses (U.S.A., private collection).