The Calling of Samuel
Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1770 - 1776
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
360 x 290 mm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Knole, Kent
NT 129935
Caption
The subject of this painting is taken from an episode in the Old Testament (I Samuel 3), in which Samuel mistakes the voice of God for that of his guardian, Eli. When the word of the Lord is revealed to the young boy, he replies ‘Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth’. Reynolds created two distinct compositions on the theme (The Infant Samuel and The Calling of Samuel), both of which exist in multiple versions, although there is some confusion surrounding the exhibition of Reynolds’s Samuel at the Royal Academy in 1776, as to which composition or version this refers. The 3rd Duke bought this painting in 1776, leading some to believe this might have been the exhibited work.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, The Calling of Samuel by Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792), circa 1770-6. A half-length portrait of a young boy, turned to the left, gazing upwards, his right hand outstretched, wearing a loose brown cloak. Stormy sky.
Provenance
On loan from the Trustees of the Sackville Estate
Makers and roles
Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792), artist