The Masters Gawler as Schoolboys (1777- 1778)
(oil on canvas, 39.3" x 28.1")
by
Sir Joshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723 - 1792) is one of the most famous painters of 18th Century England, and widely regarded as one of the greatest portraitists ever. He helped found the Royal Academy of Art in Britain, and served as its first president. His portraits were hugely popular in his lifetime, bringing Reynolds considerable commercial and critical success.
The dog in the portrait of the Gawler brothers is identified as "a Newfoundland dog" in a March 20, 1877, article in The Times (London) which listed a large number of important recent art sales. While it does not look much like Newfoundlands of today, it bears a decided resemblance to many other Newfoundland images from the late 18th and early 19th Centuries.