Reynolds PRA FRS FRSA (After), Sir Joshua (1723 – 1792) – A copy drawings after Reynolds’ ‘The Calling of Samuel’ (Exhibited R.A. 1776).

A copy drawings after Reynolds' 'The Calling of Samuel' (Exhibited R.A. 1776). Pastels. c.1790. The prime version of Reynolds' 'The Calling of Samuel' was destroyed by fire at Belvoir Castle in 1816. But the work is known in several iterations including an autograph version in the collection at Knole, Kent. The number of versions listed by Mannings and Postle, and the engravings after the work by John Dean (1777) and John Raphael Smith (1783) demonstrate just how popular the picture was. It has been suggested that this drawing could be the work of the young Thomas Lawrence but we have not been able to confirm this. 17.75x15 inches. Framed: 23.75x21 inches.