Possibly a 19th century student copy of the Royal Academy study.

Portrait of a woman verso. Gilt framed

Sir Joshua Reynolds painted many self-portrait paintings during his career in the hope that he would raise his own status as an artist and cultural figure. He had a theory of art based around the need for modern British artists to copy the Old Masters, becoming fascinated by the ‘Dutch master’ Rembrandt whose portrait prints were revered in Britain at this time. Reynolds emulated Rembrandt by using himself as a model to practice different facial expressions, sometimes even changing the shape of his face to resemble the Dutch artist’s distinctive, jowls.

In this picture, the costume, pose, dramatic chiaroscuro and broad and rapid brush-work all refer to the work of Rembrandt.