Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) portrait painter: self portrait

  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Government Art Collection
  • About the artist
    Godfrey Kneller was born in Lübeck, Germany. He moved to Amsterdam in 1662 to study painting under Rembrandt and Ferdinand Bol. He later trained with Gianlorenzo Bernini and Carlo Maratta in Rome. He returned to Lübeck in 1675, before moving to Hamburg and then to London to study the works of van Dyck. In England he received commissions from prominent figures, including Charles II. Charles sent Kneller to France in 1684, to paint the portrait of Louis XIV. Kneller maintained his position at court after the accession of James II in 1685 and, when William and Mary came to the throne, he and portraitist John Riley became joint Principal Painters to the Crown. Following Riley’s death, Kneller alone retained the position. He was 77 when he died.
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  • Details
    Title
    Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) portrait painter: self portrait
    Date
    published 1685
    Medium
    Mezzotint
    Dimensions
    height: 36.80 cm, width: 27.70 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Grosvenor Prints, May 2002
    Provenance
    With Grosvenor Prints, London; from whom purchased by the Government Art Collection in May 2002
    GAC number
    17703