Sir Joshua Reynolds

In contrast to his considerable success in his artistic career, Reynolds was not so fortunate in love. When asked why he had never married, he replied that every woman he liked became indifferent to him after a while. Reynolds met the writer Fanny Burney (pictured) in 1778. Their promising relationship came to an abrupt end after the artist fell seriously ill in 1782. Burney later reportedly wrote to her sister: “Dear Sissy, how can you wish anything concerning Sir Joshua and me? A man who has had two strokes! What torments I should have to endure… the terror of that shock being repeated! Not for all the treasures in the world would I take on perpetual dread.” Reynolds, however, was never lonely: he enjoyed a close-knit circle of loyal friends, including, among others, the writer Samuel Johnson.

From the page of The Age of Innocence