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Which Joshua Reynolds portraits of children are especially well known?
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Joshua Reynolds
Joshua Reynolds, detail of self-portrait, oil on panel, 1780; in the Royal Academy of Arts, London.
Joshua Reynolds, a prominent 18th-century British portrait painter, produced numerous studies of children that are noted for their tender and sometimes amusing qualities. Among his most enchanting and well-known works in this genre are:1
- Master Crewe as Henry VIII (1775–76)1
- Lady Caroline Scott as ‘Winter’ (1778)1
Additionally, his portrait of Georgiana, Countess Spencer, and her daughter (1761) is frequently cited for its tender charm and careful observation. While Reynolds often captured the innocence of his young subjects, some of his later child studies have been criticized for occasionally leaning toward excessive sentimentality.1