In the Irish National Gallery there’s a portrait of Joseph Leeson, later first Earl of Miltown, bigwig, painted by Pompeo Battoni who seems to have made a great living from painting grand tourists. Looks good, if a little portly, right?
In the same room, the authorities have chosen to hang a picture which is a parody of Raphael’s school of Athens by Joshua Reynolds. It was commissioned by Joseph Leeson’s nephew. It features the great and the good including Joseph Leeson, later first Earl of Milltown, bigwig. I am unclear how he felt about it but he is entirely recognisable and it somehow undercuts the adjacent formal portrait.
Truly, image management is a tricky issue.