The Artist

Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt. (1646-1723) was the leading portrait painter of late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century England, serving five monarchs from Charles Il to George I. His grand, courtly style combined Baroque splendour with refined restraint, capturing the grace and authority of Britain’s elite. Through his prolific output and enduring influence, Kneller helped define the visual identity of the English court and the age’s artistic ideals.