Charity

Charity from 1780 at a National Trust property shows Reynolds painting an allegorical subject combining his fancy picture style with classical allegory. The personification of Charity as a woman with children draws on Renaissance prototypes. Reynolds built his portraits using multiple glazed layers over a warm imprimatura, blending Rembrandt's tonal depth with Van Dyck's aristocratic elegance—though his experimental use of bitumen and carmine often caused irreversible darkening.

The allegorical composition groups the female figure with children. Reynolds's warm palette and flowing handling create an image of maternal virtue.