Sir Peter Lely. A 17th Century Portrait of Barbara Villiers Oil on Canvas 28 ins x 23½ ins (71 cms x 60 cms) Private collection
Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine, also known as Lady Castlemaine (27 November 1640–9 October 1709) was an English courtesan from the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of England, by whom she had five children, all of whom were acknowledged and subsequently ennobled. Her influence was so great that she has been referred to as “The Uncrowned Queen.”…
Peter Lely (1618–1680) Portrait of Frances Theresa Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox circa 1662 and circa 1665 Medium oil on canvas 125.8 × 102.7 cm (49.5 × 40.4 in) Hampton Court Palace
Frances Teresa Stewart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox (8 July 1647–15 October 1702) was a prominent member of the Court of the Restoration and famous for refusing to become a mistress of Charles II of England. For her great beauty she was known as La Belle Stuart and served as the model for an idealised, female Britannia.
she caught the eye of Charles II, who fell in love with her. The king’s infatuation was so great that when the queen’s life was despaired of in 1663, it was reported that he intended to marry Stewart, and four years later he was considering the possibility of obtaining a divorce to enable him to make her his wife because she had refused to become his mistress.
Following the war with the Dutch, Charles had a commemorative medal cast, in which her face was used as a model for Britannia; this subsequently became customary for medals, coins and statues. She continued to appear on some of the copper coinage of the United Kingdom until the decimalization of the currency in 1971.[2] She also appeared on the fifty pence piece in 2006. More on Frances Teresa Stewart
Lely flattered his subjects, and gave each portrait a similar languorous and ‘sleepy eyed’ air, said to have been influenced by the features of the noted court beauty Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland who was painted many times by Lely. Only one of the sitters, Frances Teresa Stuart actually held the position of Maid of Honour in the Royal Household. Some of the others were noted courtesans, while others were respected members of the nobility…
Peter Lely (1618–1680) Portrait of Frances Theresa Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox, circa 1662 and circa 1665 Medium oil on canvas 125.8 × 102.7 cm (49.5 × 40.4 in) Hampton Court Palace
The ‘Windsor Beauties’ series, were a set of eleven portraits of celebrated women at the Restoration court. The series was commissioned, or assembled, by Anne Hyde, Duchess of York, probably around 1662–5; painted by Peter Lely (1618–1680), depicting the most beautiful ladies of the court of King Charles II of England…
Sir Peter Lely. A 17th Century Portrait of Barbara Villiers Oil on Canvas 28 ins x 23½ ins (71 cms x 60 cms) Private collection
Sir Peter Lely (14 September 1618–30 November 1680) was a painter of Dutch origin, whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court. Lely studied painting in Haarlem. He became a master of the Guild of Saint Luke in Haarlem in 1637.
He arrived in London in around 1641. His early English paintings, mainly mythological or religious scenes, or portraits. Lely’s portraits were well received, and he succeeded Anthony van Dyck as the most fashionable portrait artist in England. He became a freeman of the Painter-Stainers’ Company in 1647 and was portrait artist to Charles I. His talent ensured that his career was not interrupted by Charles’s execution, and he served Oliver and Richard Cromwell. More on Sir Peter Lely
Barbara was the subject of many portraits, in particular by court painter Sir Peter Lely. Her extravagance, foul temper and promiscuity provoked diarist John Evelyn into describing her as the “curse of the nation”, whereas Samuel Pepys often noted seeing her, admiringly…
Zaidan Gallery 