Henrietta Catherine Cholmley and Son

Henrietta Catherine Cholmley and Son from 1761 at the Toledo Museum shows Reynolds painting a mother and child portrait. His maternal portraits combine the domestic with the elevated, drawing on Renaissance Madonna compositions. 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 double portrait arranges mother and child with compositional grace. Reynolds's warm palette and flowing handling create an image of aristocratic maternal tenderness.