Studio of Sir Peter Lely

Portrait of a Gentleman, William Seymour, 3rd Duke of Somerset, Oil Painting

circa 1658/60

Sir Peter Lely 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 was born as Pieter van der Faes to Dutch parents in Soest in Westphalia. He studied painting in Haarlem, where he may have been apprenticed to Pieter de Grebber and became a master of the Guild of Saint Luke in Haarlem in 1637. Lely is reputed to have adopted his surname from a heraldic “Lely” on the gable of the house where his father was born in The Hague. After arriving in London around 1643, his early English paintings, mainly mythological or religious scenes or portraits set in a pastoral landscape, show influences from Anthony van Dyck and the Dutch baroque. Lely’s portraits were very well received and he succeeded van Dyck (who had died in 1641) 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 ensure that his career was not interrupted by Charles’ execution and he was appointed as Charles II’s Principle Painter in Ordinary in 1661, with a stipend of £200 per year. Lely became a naturalised English subject in 1662 and his demand and workshop were prolific.