Charles James Fox (copy after Joshua Reynolds)

Charles James Fox, a copy after Joshua Reynolds, from around 1784 by John Hoppner documents the great Whig politician and orator who was a central figure in Georgian political life. The practice of copying Reynolds's portraits reflected both the master's authority and the continuing demand for likenesses of political leaders. Characteristic of the artist's mature approach, the work displays fluent, confident brushwork in the tradition of Reynolds, with a warm atmospheric palette and a gift for flattering likenesses that retained individual character.

The copy maintains the compositional authority of Reynolds's original while Hoppner's own technique is evident in the broader handling and atmospheric quality of the paint surface.