Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A.

Sale, Sotheby's London, 10 November 1993, lot 184

D. Mannings and M. Postle, Sir Joshua Reynolds: A Complete catalogue of his paintings, New Haven and London 2000, text volume, p. 541, no. 2096, plates volume, p. 602, fig. 1647.

This painting is on board. The paint surface is stable and appears to be in good overall condition. There is a slightly discoloured, patchy varnish. Other intervention is restricted to minor scattered, localised restorations, the most significant of which is to the right of Hercules' left hand and a small repair in the background (upper left) and a very minor repair in the infants' right knee.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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This small oil appears to be a preparatory sketch for Reynolds's The Infant Hercules Strangling the Serpents in The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, which was commissioned from the artist by Catherine the Great of Russia in 1785. The final picture was not completed until 1789, however the first sittings relating to the composition are recorded in Reynolds's 1786 pocket book, on 12^th February at ten o'clock, 'Boy for Hercules', and on 19^th February, again at ten o'clock, Hercules'. Reynolds used a number of living models for the composition, including the son of Edmund Burke's bailiff, and a child of his frame maker William Cribb, as well as drawing influence from the figure of Hercules in a pen and ink drawing by Guilio Romano¹ and from Carlo Maratta's etching of The Infant Christ Adored by Angels. It has also been suggested that an engraving of Hercules strangling the snakes by Agostino Veneziano, of circa 1525, may have influenced the design.²  

1. See R. Pronco, Joshua Reynolds, Weinheim 1990, pp. 189-90, figs. 179-80.
2. See F. Saxl and R. Wittkower, British Art and the Mediterranean, London 1948, no. 64, fig. C.