poem. Legacy Richardson was considered as one of the three foremost painters of his time with Charles Jervas and Michael Dahl. He was also an excellent and prolific draughtsman, and made a number of chalk drawings of friends and family. Recent research has shed light also on his activity as a printmaker, once again mostly in the field of portraiture. He was the master of Thomas Hudson and George Knapton. He painted, drew and etched many self-portraits, which are highly regarded today. Richardson has over 120 paintings in public ownership in the United Kingdom. When the elder Richardson died in Bloomsbury on 28 May 1745 he left four daughters, one of whom married Thomas Hudson the painter, who had previously been Richardson's pupil. He was also survived by his son, Jonathan Richardson the Younger (1694–1771), who was brought up as a gentleman; he dabbled in painting and printmaking. Horace Walpole stated that he "painted a little" but whatever works he created are now lost. He left a large and valuable collection of 4,749 Old Master drawings which were auctioned by Sotheby's over eighteen days. Another large collection of painting, prints, drawings, etc. (1241 lots in all) was auctioned by Christopher Cock over eighteen evenings from 22 January to 11 February 1747. Today a drawing that still bears Richardson's collector's mark gains substantially in value. Richardson has been described as one of the "greatest collectors of drawings of all time." Works An Essay on the Theory of Painting (1715) An Essay on the Whole Art of Criticism as it Relates to Painting and an Argument in Behalf of the Science of a Connoisseur (1719) An Account of Some of the Statues, Bas-Reliefs, Drawings, and Pictures in Italy (1722) Explanatory notes and remarks on Milton's Paradise lost By J. Richardson, father and son. With the life of the author, and a discourse on the poem.'' References External links 1667 births 1745 deaths 17th-century English painters English male painters 18th-century English painters 18th-century English male artists English portrait painters English art collectors Painters from London People from the City of London