George Capel, Viscount Malden (1757–1839), and Lady Elizabeth Capel (1755–1834)

Reynolds's George Capel, Viscount Malden, and Lady Elizabeth Capel (c. 1787–88) is a sibling portrait combining the visual conventions of the conversation piece with the Grand Manner elevation that Reynolds brought to aristocratic portraiture. The young Malden and his sister are depicted in natural, affectionate proximity that suggests the bonds of family while simultaneously establishing their aristocratic identity through pose, costume, and setting. Reynolds's ability to create images of aristocratic family life that were simultaneously naturalistic in their human warmth and elevated in their social presentation was one of his most commercially valued skills.

The children are posed in a natural, relaxed interaction that creates compositional movement. Reynolds's warm palette and soft handling are particularly suited to the young faces, which are modeled with gentle tonal transitions.