File:Commander John Roberts, 1720-1815 RMG BHC2966.tiff

A half-length portrait slightly to left in a painted oval. Under his blue coat he wears a red flannel smock without an opening down the front. Very little is known about this long-lived naval officer except that he was promoted to lieutenant in 1740-41 and became a commander on the superannuated list on 21 September 1796. He was of Huguenot extraction from the family of de Jonquiere, a surname that was dropped in favour of the Christian name of the head of the family.

In 1740, Reynolds was apprenticed to the portrait painter Thomas Hudson (1701-90) and he travelled to Italy in 1749. In 1753 he set up in London and rapidly made a name as a portrait painter, profoundly influenced by his time in Italy to travel and study. Reynolds borrowed poses from the old masters and by 1759 had created social portraits in a new style that were deemed fresh and modern and yet dignified the status of the sitter. He became the first President of the Royal Academy in 1768 and was knighted the following year. Reynolds was the leading portrait painter of his day and the most influential figure of the century in elevating the status of British painting and portraiture. The portrait, painted when Reynolds was working in and around Plymouth, is signed and dated 'Joshua Reynolds pinxit 1747'.