| Portrait of Joseph Banks | |
| Artist: | Joshua Reynolds |
| Year: | 1771–1773 |
| Type: | Oil on canvas, portrait |
| Height Metric: | 127 |
| Width Metric: | 101.5 |
| Metric Unit: | cm |
| Imperial Unit: | in |
| Museum: | National Portrait Gallery |
| City: | London |
Portrait of Joseph Banks is a portrait painting by the British artist Joshua Reynolds of the botanist and President of the Royal Society Joseph Banks. Banks had gained fame for his part in the explorer James Cook's First Voyage. Although it was intended he should also go on the Second Voyage this fell through due to the excessive demands of Reynolds.[1] Instead Reynolds went on a trip to Iceland.[2]
Reynolds was President of the Royal Academy and Britain's leading portraitist of the era. Banks sat for him several times between November 1771 and March 1773. To emphasise his role in discovery (as well as the globe beside him) Reynolds holds a paper containing a Latin quote from the poet Horace translated as "Tomorrow we will sail the high seas again". It is now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London.[3]