The present picture, which has previously been accepted as a fully autograph work by Sir Joshua Reynolds, has recently, on the basis of a photograph, been attributed to his studio by Dr. David Mannings. Certainly by 1791 Sir Joshua's eyesight was failing and his assistants were playing a greater part in his production. The prime version of the subject was bought by the Duke of Dorset, a major patron of the artist, in 1776, while a third version was bought by Sir Francis Bourgeois, R.A., and bequeathed by him to Dulwich College.