Gerard Lairesse, from "Fifteen Etchings Dedicated to Sir Joshua Reynolds" 1778

This etching of Gerard Lairesse was made by John Hamilton Mortimer, probably in London, around 1778. It's part of a series of etchings dedicated to Sir Joshua Reynolds, president of the Royal Academy. The image draws on cultural references to comment on the state of art and the artist in Britain. The figure of Lairesse, a Dutch Golden Age painter who went blind, is shown as a kind of fallen hero. The palette and easel in the background refer to his former profession, and his blindness is suggested by his staff and outstretched hand. But this is not just a sentimental portrait of an old master. The print also speaks to the social conditions of artists in the late 18th century. Mortimer and others at the time were pushing back against the Royal Academy’s control over the art world, establishing alternative societies for exhibiting and selling their work. To understand this image better, we can research the history of the Royal Academy, the biographies of Mortimer and Reynolds, and the market for prints in 18th-century London.