THOMAS PATCH (EXETER 1725-1782 FLORENCE)

Born in Exeter in 1725, Thomas Patch traveled to Rome in 1747 with Richard Dalton, who would later become the librarian to King George III. In Rome, he met Joshua Reynolds and worked for Joseph Vernet, whose influence is evident in the present painting. In 1755, the Tribunale della Santa Inquisizione banished him from Rome over claims of homosexual indiscretion and he fled to Florence, where he would spend the remainder of his life.