The illustrated monograph
An essay of nearly 10,000 words on Sir Joshua Reynolds — the Devon schoolmaster's son, Italy and the Grand Manner, the Leicester Fields studio and its sitters' book, the presidency of the Royal Academy and the Discourses — followed by the site's largest catalogue: the 790 works with an image recorded by Wikidata (714 by the painter and studio, 24 drawings and prints, 52 studio or doubtful attributions), each illustrated and given a commentary — over 44,000 words of commentary. Its pages read like any other page of the site — click any image to enlarge it, arrow keys ← → to navigate. The catalogue is served in twenty-one pages so each loads smoothly; the portraits Wikidata leaves undated fill the three « sans date » pages.
Key facts
- The essay
- ≈ 9,800 words in 6 pages: Devon and Italy, the studio, the making, the Academy, the end, four pictures
- The catalogue
- 790 works in 21 pages — painter and studio (18 pages), works on paper (1), studio and copies (2)
- The commentaries
- ≈ 44,400 words — the sitters' book, engravings after, Gilded Age prices, attribution debates
- Language
- English — the rest of the site is bilingual
- Sources
- Wikidata (works, dates, collections, dimensions); images from Wikimedia Commons (internet connection required)
The essay, in six pages
| Page | Chapters |
|---|---|
| Essay · Devon, Italy, the manner | Prologue — I. Devon — II. Keppel, Italy — III. Rome, and the Venetian secret |
| Essay · The Leicester Fields studio | IV. The studio, the sitters, the sitters' book — V. The Grand Manner, the fancy picture and the child |
| Essay · The making and the world | VI. How a Reynolds is painted — VII. The beauties and the actresses — VIII. Empire, science — IX. The collecting of Reynolds |
| Essay · The Academy and the Discourses | X. The Academy and the Discourses — XI. The Club — XII. Rivals — XIII. The history painter manqué — XIV. The drawings, the prints |
| Essay · The end and the reception | XV. The quarrels, the blindness, and the end — XVI. The reception — XVII. The sitters' book |
| Essay · Four pictures, closely | XVIII. Four pictures, closely — XIX. How to look at a Reynolds — Coda |
The catalogue, in twenty-one pages
| Page | Works | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogue · 1650–1751 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1751–1756 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1756–1759 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1759–1761 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1761–1763 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1764–1765 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1765–1768 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1769–1772 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1772–1775 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1775–1777 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1777–1780 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1780–1782 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1782–1786 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1786–1788 | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · 1788 and after | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · undated (1) | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · undated (2) | 40 | Painter and studio |
| Catalogue · undated (3) | 34 | Painter and studio |
| On paper · 1750–1924 | 24 | Drawings and prints |
| Studio and copies · 1734–1900 | 26 | Studio, copies, doubtful |
| Studio and copies · undated | 26 | Studio, copies, doubtful |
The site's interactive base remains available offline.