A Caricature Group: Sir Charles Turner, Mr. Cook, Mr. John Woodyeare, and Rev. Dr. William Drake

Reynolds's Caricature Group of Sir Charles Turner, Mr. Cook, Mr. Woodyeare, and Rev. Dr. Drake from 1751 is another product of his Roman years, now in the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. These Italian caricature groups were a distinct genre within Reynolds's early output — informal, comic, intended for the subjects themselves rather than posterity. They circulated within the closed social world of British Grand Tourists and reflect the self-aware culture of educated Georgian men who could appreciate satire directed at themselves. Reynolds later largely abandoned caricature as incompatible with his ambitions for English painting.

The compact group is arranged with casual animation, figures overlapping in informal communion. Reynolds uses a limited palette suited to the sketch-like intent, with quick characterization of faces. Despite the caricature exaggeration, the underlying draughtsmanship reveals the confident hand of a trained painter.