The present picture is one of the few 'caricatura' painted by Reynolds during his stay in Italy between April 1750 and August 1752. The mock-heroic nature of the picture is mixed with the Roman tradition of caricatura and satire as perfected by Pier Leone Ghezzi and taken up by Thomas Patch, another English artist resident in Rome during the period. Howard's agent and cicerone James Russel wrote to him on 10 March 1752 'upon some discourse I had with Mr. Reynolds, he seemed very sorry he had lost your good graces; he has worked upon your picture and really altered it for the better' (letter published in O'Connor, op. cit., pp. 7-8). In a letter of 16 January 1753 Russel records the packing of a 'caricatura', and a painting by Vernet, for dispatch to Dublin.

The subject of the painting is not immediately clear but would seem to represent a farcial episode in the travels of Howard to Italy during 1751-2. According to traditional interpretation Howard is seen mounting his carriage on the left, watching with his tutor Dr. Benson a postillion being thrown from the grey horse in the centre. In the foreground on the right stands Howard's courier with a bandaged head attempting to ignore the abuse of the inn-keeper and his wife.

Ralph Howard (1724-1789) was the eldest son and heir of Robert Howard, Bishop of Elphin, and the grandson of Hugh Howard of Shelton, the accomplished amateur artist and pupil of Carlo Maratta. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and made his Grand Tour in 1751-2 at the late age of twenty-six. Howard sat to Pompeo Batoni in 1752 (Coll: J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky) and ordered works from a number of English artists in Rome as well as a set of five Italianate views from Claude-Joseph Vernet. He was created Baron Clonmore in 1776 and Viscount Wicklow in 1785.