Every year he attained more freedom and naturalness in his pose and developed more power in his use of colour.
[Illustration: THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER From the picture by Sir Joshua Reynolds, in Trinity College, Cambridge] Many would say that his loveliest achievements were portraits of children, yet he did not attain the same freedom in his child poses till late in life.

You have all seen photographs, at any rate, of the 'Age of Innocence' and the 'Heads of Angels,' but this little picture of the Duke of Gloucester, nephew of George III., will not be so familiar.

I wonder whether it reminds you of anything you know?
It reminds me of Van Dyck.

The little duke stands with an air of importance upon the hillside, which is raised above the eye of the spectator as Velasquez raised the ground beneath the pony of Don Balthazar Carlos.
There is no mistake about the child being a simple English boy, with a nice chubby face and ordinary straight fair hair.

But he is a prince and knows it.