His most important book is An Essay on the Theory of Painting (1715), which was the first significant work of art theory written in English; it was an immediate success and its claims for the intellectual seriousness of painting inspired the young Reynolds. An Account of Some of the Statues, Bas-Reliefs, Drawings, and Pictures in Italy (1722), which he wrote in collaboration with his son, Jonathan the Younger (b London, 14 Feb. 1694; bur. London, 15 June 1771), also a portraitist, was much used as a guidebook by young Englishmen making the Grand Tour. Richardson the Elder was an excellent draughtsman (a self-portrait in black and red chalk, c.1735, is in the NPG, London) and he made a superb collection of Old Master drawings.
Text Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford University Press)
