During the summer of 1781, Sir Joshua made a tour through Holland and the Netherlands, in order to ex amine the celebrated works of the Dutch and Flemish artists. Here he studied with a critical eye the paint ings in the churches and collections in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, and Dusseldorf, and he has preserved his opinions of these pictures in an account of his journey which was published after his death, and which terminates with a masterly drawn character of Rubens.
In 1783, when the Emperor Joseph exposed to sale the pictures belonging to several of the monastries and religious houses in Flanders, Sir Joshua again visited that country, and he expended above 10001. on the purchase of some of the most interesting. He is said to have observed upon his return, that his own pictures, when compared with those he had purchased, wanted force and brilliancy.
On the death of Allan Ramsay, in 1784, Sir Joshua was made principal painter in ordinary to his majesty, a situation which he held till the time of his death.
Hitherto our author had enjoyed equal health, with the exception of a slight paralytic stroke which he ex perienced in 1782, and which left behind it no disagree able effects. In July 1789, however, when Lady Beau champ was sitting for her portrait, he was unable to proceed with the picture from his loss of sight, and, notwithstanding the exertions of his medical attend ants, he became in a few months blind in his left eye. Having been so deaf as to be obliged to use an ear trumpet ever since his return from Italy, he began to be alarmed lest he should be afflicted with the two greatest calamities to which the human frame is subject, the loss of hearing and the loss of sight. He therefore resolved to save his remaining eye by giving up his labours as an artist, and though he was thus made de pendent on a new set of habits, he retained his spirits and partook of the conversation of his friends_ with 'his usual cheerfulness. This state of enjoyment, however, did not long continue. Some discussion which about this time took place in the academy disturbed his tran quillity and added to the infirmities of his decaying frame. In 1790, when the professorship of perspective had become vacant, Sir Joshua was extremely desirous of having it filled by Joseph Bonomi, a celebrated Ita lian architect. Bonomi, however, was only an associate
of the academy, so that it became necessary to elect him an academician. Alt% Gilpin was the other candi date on this occasion. When the ballot took place the votes were equally divided, and Sir Joshua gave his cast ing vote in favour of his friend. On a subsequent occa sion when an academic seat was vacant, Sir Joshua ex erted all his influence to procure it for Bonomi ; but when he found that he was outvoted by two to one, he left the chair with great dissatisfaction, and resigned next clay. He was afterwards, however, prevailed upon to re sume his dignity.
An inflamed tumour that had grown above the eye which he had lost made him unreasonably apprehen sive of the loss of the other; and from that time his spirits failed, and a settled despondency took possession of his mind. This effect, however, was partly owing to another disease, which was secretly undermining his frame, and the nature and the seat of which he was unable to point out. This illness was therefore attri buted to a wrong cause, and his physicians, with that want of generosity which in such cases only charac terizes their profession, were more willing to brand their patient with the name of hypochondraic than own their ignorance of a disease which was seated be yond their penetration. About a fortnight previous to his death it was discovered that his liver had enlarged itself beyond its ordinary size, and had impeded the exercise of all his vital functions. After being confined to his room for three months, he died at his house in Leicester Square, on the 23d of February, 1792, at the advanced age of sixty-nine. His funeral was attend ed by a number of very distinguished individuals, and his pall was supported by three dukes, two marquises, and other five noblemen. His remains were deposited in the crypt of St. Paul's, near those of Sir Christopher Wren.
Sir Joshua Reynolds was rather below the middle size, of a ruddy complexion, and somewhat inclined to corpulency. He has left behind him excellent pictures of himself at different periods of his life.