Joseph Goupy played a significant role in cultivating a taste for Italian art in 18th-century Britain. Here, Goupy copied an oil painting by Salvator Rosa now in the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth. Copying from Old Masters was a venerated practice in the 18th century. In addition to being an essential aspect of artistic training, the circulation of great works of art served to educate connoisseurs and to shape public opinion. Goupy’s luminous gouaches were highly prized, fetching prices considerably higher than original portraits of the period.
