Jonathan Richardson Sr. (1667–1745)

• Was an English artist, collector of drawings and writer on art.
• He was the master of Thomas Hudson and George Knapton. 

• Richardson was born in the parish of St. Botolph, Bishopsgate in London on 12 January 1667 to William and Mary Richardson.

• Richardson became a scrivener's apprentice, but he was released early when his master retired.

• Richardson was lucky enough to be taken on as a painting apprentice by John Riley. 

• Richardson was even more influential as a writer than as a painter according to Samuel Johnson.

• He is credited with inspiring Joshua Reynolds to paint and theorise with his 1715 book An Essay on the Theory of Painting.

• In 1722, Richardson published with his son, also Jonathan, An Account of Some of the Statues, Bas-Reliefs, Drawings, and Pictures in Italy (1722).

• The book was compiled by Richardson the elder using material gathered by his son whilst touring Italy in 1721. 

• He was working almost entirely as a portrait-painter in London.

• He was considered by some art-critics as one of the three foremost painters of his time.

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