A label dating from the 19^th century on the back of the painting informs us of the identities of artist and sitter: “Sir Williams Chambers / by Sir Joshua Reynolds”.

The style is undoubtedly that of this renowned British painter, perhaps the most significant and influential portraitist of his time. There is an almost identical portrait to this one at the Musée des Beaux Arts in Bordeaux, though with a sketchier finish and with the inclusion of a classical building on the left of the composition that the sitter is clearly trying to draw. As such, we could infer that this work here might be another later and unfinished version of the Bordeaux picture (ca. 1750-1760), published for the first time in the catalogue of the Reynolds exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1986.

This oil on canvas must have been made around 1763-1765, a long time before the official portrait Reynolds made of Chambers in 1780 for the Royal Academy, where it currently hangs.

Sir William Chambers (1723-1796) was born in Sweden where his father was a businessman. Educated in England, his early interest in architecture encouraged him to travel through Italy (1750-1752) at the same time as Reynolds, and the two met there. Enjoying the favour of the English Crown, Chambers was actively involved in the founding of the Royal Academy of Arts in London (1748), and was appointed its first treasurer.