Lady Cornewall
c. 1785-1786
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 127 x 101.5 cm (50 x 39 15/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Widener Collection
Accession Number
1942.9.74
Art Historical Context
**Lady Cornewall** by Sir Joshua Reynolds, painted around 1785-1786, is a stunning oil-on-canvas portrait measuring 127 x 101.5 cm, now housed in the National Gallery of's Widener Collection. As one of Britain's foremost portraitists and the first President of the Royal Academy of Arts, Reynolds elevated portraiture to the "Grand Manner"—a style blending classical grandeur with intimate realism. Here, he captures Lady Cornewall, likely an aristocratic sitter from the late Georgian era, in elegant poise that reflects the refined tastes of 18th-century British high society. Reynolds' mastery sh...
About the Artist
Sir Joshua Reynolds · 1723–1792
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) was a British painter who became the dominant figure in eighteenth-century British art and the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts. Born in Plympton, Devon, he studied under the portrait painter Thomas Hudson in London, and a transformative visit to Italy (1749–52) — where he studied the Old Masters, particularly the Venetian colorists and Michelangelo — sh...