| Summary: | This article explores the art-collecting practices of John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745–1799), focusing on his remarkable investment in the experimental paintings of Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792). In the 1770s and 80s, Sackville sunk significant funds into works by Reynolds that were of mixed critical standing, of unpredictable future value, and notoriously susceptible to rapid physical deterioration. What motivated such risky, idiosyncratic purchases? This article argues that Sackville’s patronage can usefully be characterized as a form of high-stakes gamble with the potential to advance his social, cultural, and political circumstances and agendas. It is argued that such a “Reynoldsian lottery” was as much about interior competition in the uppermost reaches of eighteenth-century society as it was about an outward-looking desire to be distinguished from the ranks below. As well as shedding light on an important instance of British art patronage therefore, the article also seeks to expose the tactical advantage of devil-may-care forms of luxury consumption for those born to rank, fortune, and influence in this period.
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