1 work, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, Studio of Sir Peter Lely’s Portrait of Queen Catherine of Braganza, with Footnotes. #152

Studio of Sir Peter Lely (SOEST 1618-1680 LONDON)
Portrait of Queen Catherine of Braganza
Oil on canvas
101.8 x 78.8cm (40 1/16 x 31in).
Private collection

Catherine Of Braganza, (born Nov. 25, 1638, Vila Viçosa, Port.—died Dec. 31, 1705, Lisbon), Portuguese Roman Catholic wife of King Charles II of England (ruled 1660–85). A pawn in diplomatic dealings and anti-papal intrigues, she was married to Charles as part of an important alliance between England and Portugal.Catherine’s father became King John IV of Portugal in 1640. Her marriage, which took place in May 1662, brought England valuable trading privileges and the port cities of Tangier (in Morocco) and Bombay. In return, England pledged to help Portugal maintain its independence from Spain.

The young queen had little personal charm, and, despite her deep affection for Charles, he paid less attention to her than to his mistresses. When it became apparent that she would bear the King no children, opponents of his brother, James, duke of York, urged him to divorce her in the hope that Charles could then be induced to wed a Protestant. In 1678 they accused Catherine of scheming to poison the King and place his Roman Catholic brother James on the throne. But Charles, who never doubted his wife’s innocence, stood by her until she was cleared of the charges. Catherine helped convert Charles to the Roman Catholic Church shortly before he died in 1685, and in 1692 she returned to Portugal. In 1704 she became regent of Portugal for her ailing brother, King Pedro II. More on Catherine Of Braganza

Peter Lely, Dutch, British, English (Born Soest, Westphalia, 14 September 1618; died London, 30 November 1680). Painter of Dutch origin who spent almost all his career in England and was naturalized in 1662. His family name was originally van der Faes, and the name Lely is said to have come from a lily carved on the house in The Hague where his father was born. Lely was born in Germany and trained in Haarlem.

He moved to England in the early 1640s, and although he first painted figure compositions in landscapes (Sleeping Nymphs, c.1650, Dulwich Picture Gal., London), he soon turned to the more profitable field of portraiture. 

Fortune shone on him, for within a few years of his arrival the best portraitists in England disappeared from the scene: van Dyck and William Dobson died in 1641 and 1646 respectively, and Cornelius Johnson returned to Holland in 1643. In 1654 he was described as ‘the best artist in England’. Lely portrayed Charles I and his children, Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard, and other leading figures of the Interregnum. With the aid of a team of assistants he maintained an enormous output, and his fleshy, sleepy beauties clad in exquisite silks and his bewigged courtiers have created the popular image of Restoration England. More on Peter Lely

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19 Portraits of Barbara Villiers; Duchess of Cleveland and mistress to Charles II

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.”…

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19 Portraits of Barbara Villiers; Duchess of Cleveland and mistress to King Charles II

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…

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