Sir Godfrey Kneller was a leading English Baroque portraitist whose subjects included nobility, politicians, poets, writers and other notable figures. His figurative and portrait paintings were in great demand for more than three decades around the turn of the 18th century.
Kneller was born in Lübeck, Germany, in 1646. His father was a painter and a city surveyor, positions which gave Kneller the opportunity of a university education. He studied mathematics at Leiden University in the Netherlands before shifting to painting, studying under luminaries such as Ferdinand Bol and Rembrandt.
In 1672, Kneller moved to Italy where he spent time in Rome and Venice painting portraits for the nobility. Around 1676, he moved to England, where he opened a studio. An encounter with the Duke of Monmouth led to an introduction to King Charles II, and Kneller became a court painter, garnering a reputation for his grand style. The young painter’s portraits had a penetrating quality that evoked the subject’s presence through like-like qualities on canvas.
In 1684, Kneller traveled to France to paint Louis XIV. Following the death of Charles II, he became the court painter for James II and later worked for his successors, William and Mary. Kneller was knighted in 1692 and received an honorary doctorate of law from the University of Oxford in 1695.
Between 1700 and 1720, he painted 42 portraits of members of the Kit-Cat Club, a political and literary group. Mary II also commissioned him to paint the Hampton Court Beauties, a series of paintings featuring the most graceful ladies of the royal court.
In 1711, Kneller became the governor of the London Academy and subsequently won re-election every year until 1718. King George I made him a baronet in 1715.
Kneller died in London in 1723, with hundreds of unfinished paintings remaining in the prolific portrait master's studio.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Sir Godfrey Kneller’s paintings.
$27,340
Portrait of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (1665-1745), three-quarter length
By Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in Taunton, GB
Portrait of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (1665-1745), three-quarter length, standing wearing Armour, holding his baton, a skirmish beyond Oil on canvas In a carved wood frame ...
Oil
Portrait Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland c.1690–1695 Oil painting
By Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in London, GB
Portrait of Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland (1653–1708) c.1690–1695 Studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723) Few portraits embody the visual authority and dynastic sy...
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Cromwell as The Magdalen with a Prayer Book
By Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in Taunton, GB
Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Southwell (neé Cromwell), as the Magdalene, half-length wearing a red dress with black veil, a prayer book by her side Oil on canvas, circa 1705 In a ca...
Oil
3rd Countess of Dysart, Grace Wilbraham
By Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in Douglas, Isle of Man
Sir Godfrey Kneller 1646-1723, was a German born British portrait painter. He was, apparently according to one of our sources, born in Leiden and studied under Bol and Rembrandt, be...
Canvas, Oil
Full length portrait of Lady Elizabeth Cromwell as the Magdalen
By Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in Taunton, GB
Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Cromwell as the Magdalen, full length seated in a landscape wearing a red dress and blue robes Oil on canvas THE SOUTHWELL COLLECTION Everett Fine Art i...
Oil
William Lord Russell
By Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in Douglas, Isle of Man
Sir Godfrey Kneller 1646-1723, was a German born English portrait painter. He was a pupil of Bol and Rembrandt, he was born in Leiden, travelled to Rome , Venice, Hamburg and later t...
Canvas, Oil
$5,357
H 30.71 in W 25.6 in D 0.79 in
18th Century Oil on Canvas Portrait, Major Alexander Brown in Military Uniform.
By Sir David Wilkie
Located in Cotignac, FR
18th Century Military portrait of a young officer in Napoleonic period military dress. The painting is not signed but the subject is Major Alexander Brown. The work is oil on canvas later mounted on board and presented in a fine 'Regence style' carved gilt frame. There are labels to the back referring to the subject, 'Major Brown of Trinity' and a framers trade label from Edinburgh. A magnificent and imposing portrait of a young military officer in the prime of his life. His red uniform adorned with fine buttons, fringed epaulettes and high gilt collar. His ruddy complexion offset by his stylish hair, a quiff and swept forward to the sides as was the fashion at the time. Sir David Wilkie RA (18 November 1785 – 1 June 1841) was a Scottish painter, especially known for his portraits, including formal royal ones, and scenes from his travels to Europe and the Middle East. He painted successfully in a wide variety of genres, including historical scenes. His main base was in London, but he died and was buried at sea, off Gibraltar, returning from his first trip to the Middle East. He was sometimes known as the "people's painter". He was Principal Painter in Ordinary to King William IV and Queen Victoria. Apart from royal portraits, his best-known painting today is probably The Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Waterloo Dispatch of 1822 in Apsley House. Sir David Wilkie was actually admitted in 1799 (despite only being 14) through the influence of the Earl of Leven...
Canvas, Oil, Board
$37,271
H 31.34 in W 26.38 in D 1.97 in
Male and female portrait, both in silk kimono, possibly textile dealers
By Christoffel Lubieniecki
Located in Amsterdam, NL
CHRISTOFFEL LUBIENIECKI (1659-1729) Pair of portraits of a gentleman and a lady, both in silk kimono, before a country house (circa 1680) Indistinctly signed “C.......” on a box under the man’s left hand Oil on canvas, 79.5 x 67 cm each Both sitters are portrayed wearing a silk “Japanese” coat. During the second half of the seventeenth the Japanese silk coat, an adapted Japanese kimono, became a real vogue in the Dutch elite. The exclusive Dutch trade contacts with Japan can explain the popularity of the kimono-style silk coats in the Netherlands. Everybody who could afford one, dressed in such a fashionable and comfortable coat and, like the present sitters, some proud owners had themselves portrayed in a “Japanese” coat often together with an oriental carpet to underline their standing and international connections. These portraits are the work of the Polish-born portraitist Christoffel Lubieniecki (also known as Lubienitski, Lubinitski or Lubiniecki) Lubieniecki was first trained in Hamburg under Julian Stuhr and after 1675 in Amsterdam under Adriaen Backer and Gerard de Lairesse. He specialized in landscapes, generally of an Italianate character, and in portraits. The loving execution of these contented burghers, enjoying the garden vistas of their country house, places him alongside Amsterdam portraitists such as Constantijn Netscher and Michiel van Musscher...
Canvas, Oil
$10,252
H 24.02 in W 15.36 in D 2.37 in
Italian painting of Alphonsus Liguori in French Neo-Gothic Frame
Located in London, GB
Italian painting of Alphonsus Liguori in French Neo-Gothic Frame Italian and French, Late 18th and 19th Century Frame: Height 61cm, width 39cm, depth 6cm Panel: Height 28cm, width 22...
Oil, Panel
$11,870Sale Price|20% Off
H 50.01 in W 33.86 in
Guardian Angel Cano Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Spanish school
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Alonso Cano (Granada, 1601 – Granada, 1667) The Guardian Angel (The Archangel Raphael Showing the Way to Tobias) Oil on canvas 114 x 73 cm. - Framed 127 x 86 cm. The protago...
Oil
$4,076Sale Price|30% Off
H 35.63 in W 41.74 in
Italian Baroque painter - 18th century Allegorical painting - Cronus
Located in Varmo, IT
Italian painter (18th century) - Cronus. 90.5 x 106 cm. Oil on canvas, unframed (not signed). The painting depicts Cronus, Greek deity of time and the harvest, in a composition of...
Canvas, Oil
$4,425
H 41.34 in W 49.22 in
ALLEGORICAL SCENE - Giovanni Faliero - Italy Oil on Canvas Painting
By Giovanni Faliero
Located in Napoli, IT
Allegorical Scene - Giovanni Faliero Italia 2009 - Oil on canvas cm. 90x110. This beautiful oil on canvas is the personal reinterpretation of the magnificent painting “Bacchant playing the Cymbals” by Jean-Simon Berthélemy, a French painter of the 18th century. Here we admire a mythological scene showing a naked bacchant playing cymbals next to a wooded stream, with a small sleeping faun...
Canvas, Oil
$6,151
H 49 in W 41.5 in D 4 in
Early 18th-Century Flemish School, Portrait Of A Gentleman In A Red Robe
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This refined early 18th-century Flemish oil painting depicts a gentleman dressed in a red robe, a fancy lace cravat and cascading cuffs. His wig falls in masses, framing his introspe...
Canvas, Oil
$5,823Sale Price|37% Off
H 39.57 in W 32.88 in
Dutch-Flemish Baroque old master - Late 17th century nobleman portrait oil
Located in Varmo, IT
European master (17th–18th century) - Portrait of a Nobleman. 81 x 65 cm (without frame) - 100.5 x 83.5 cm (with frame). Oil on canvas, in a carved and gilded wooden frame (not sig...
Canvas, Oil
$2,500
H 20 in W 16 in
Portrait of D'Un Jeune Peintre Americain, Modern Oil on Board by Marie Paneth
Located in Long Island City, NY
Marie Paneth, Austrian (1895 - 1986) - Portrait of D'Un Jeune Peintre Americain, Medium: Oil on Board, initialed 'MP' lower left, Size: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.64 cm)
Oil
$32,030
H 50.79 in W 40.95 in D 1.97 in
Oil On Canvas Family Portrait After Sir Anthony Van Dyck ca 1870
By Anthony van Dyck
Located in Gavere, BE
"Oil On Canvas Family Portrait After Sir Anthony Van Dyck" After Sir Anthony van Dyck (Flemish painter, 1599-1641), Group of three young girls with a bust of Mercury Oil on canvas (doubled), probably end 19th century, with French wax seal...
Gold Leaf
Portrait of a French Aristocratic Lady, Oil on Canvas, Framed, 1920s
Located in Douglas Manor, NY
6128 Portrait of a French woman Set in a gilt frame Image size 15.5x19.5"
Oil
$1,400
H 29.9 in W 24.8 in D 0.5 in
17th Century Old Master Baroque Genre Scene Oil on Canvas Street Dice Players
Located in Stockholm, SE
This expressive genre scene, an oil on canvas, presents a magnificent example of Baroque-era painting. The dramatic narrative of the "dice game" subject - where the emotions of an ea...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Sold
H 37.01 in W 32.68 in D 2.37 in
Portrait Gentleman, William Clayton, 1st Baron Sundon, Studio of Godfrey Kneller
By Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in London, GB
Portrait of a Gentleman, William Clayton, 1st Baron Sundon of Ardagh c.1695-1710 Studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) This sumptuous portrait, presented by Titan Fine Art, was ...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 57.49 in W 48.43 in D 2.37 in
Portrait of Thomas Smith Esq, circa 1705, Excellent Quality and Provenance
By Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in London, GB
Portrait of Thomas Smith Esquire c.1705 Sir Godfrey Kneller Bt. (1646-1723) Inscribed on dog collar ‘Tomas Smith’ This sumptuous large-scale portrait, with its interesting history, was painted by one of the best and most famous English portrait painters, Sir Godfrey Kneller. Kneller completed portraits of all the key figures of the time and was court painter to four sovereigns. He played a key role in the development of British art and influenced countless artists over generations. This portrait is one of his finest Augustan style portraits for which he is now best remembered and it dates from his later middle period when he produced his most distinguished paintings. The sitter is Thomas Smith Esq and inscribed on the dog collar is “Tomas Smith”. It is possible that he is a member of the large Lincolnshire Smith family which included the explorer John Smith (1580-1631) – but it is certain that he had considerable wealth as he commissioned the most fashionable artist in the country. Shown standing in a romantic landscape dressed in a tight-fitting green coat with a cloak drawn across it and a full-bottomed wig, he carries a sword and has a greyhound by his side. Just visible on the dog’s collar is an inscription: ‘Tomas Smith’. Portraits showing sitters walking through romantic landscapes had been made popular in the previous century by the great court portraitist Sir Anthony van Dyck, and Kneller would no doubt have looked to these earlier works as a template for this portrait. The sitter gazes confidently towards the viewer with a greyhound at his side. Kneller has succeeded in capturing the aristocratic confidence that many of his sitters would have wished to display. It is clear to see how Kneller uses the aristocratic gaze and excess of drapery to create portraits that personifies grandeur and extravagance. Its remarkable quality is evidenced by the fact that it was chosen to be exhibited in New York (in 1986) by the prestigious and one of the oldest commercial art galleries in the world, Colnaghi. From there, it was acquired by one of the greatest twentieth century collectors, Ray Livingstone Murphy (New York circa 1930/40). Murphy had travelled extensively throughout Europe building a collection of important books, paintings and porcelain. It is said that the breadth of his collection was only rivalled by the collection of William Beckford in the previous century. Kneller appears to have been an artist Murphy was particularly fond of as he also owned the oil sketch of William III on horseback, now located at the Het Loo Palace in Holland. The notable quality of the present portrait is further demonstrated by its inclusion in J. D. Stewart’s book “Sir Godfrey Kneller and the English Baroque Portrait” (Oxford University Press, 1983 pg. 137, n. 796). Kneller, who was German-born and Dutch trained, studied under Ferdinand Bol, and perhaps Rembrandt himself in the 1660s. He was in Rome and Venice between 1672 and 1675, settling in England in 1676 for life. He was soon employed at Court and became the most successful portraitist of the generation following Lely. He enjoyed the office of Principal Painter, at first jointly with John Riley (d.1691), from shortly after the accession of William and Mary in 1688 until his death. He was knighted in 1692 and became a baronet in 1715. His major works include a series of ten reigning European monarchs, including King Louis XIV of France; over 40 “Kit-cat portraits” of members of the Kit-Cat Club; and ten “beauties” of the court of William III. He was also head of the Kneller Academy of Painting and Drawing 1711-1716 in Great Queen Street, London. Titan Fine Art are pleased to present this striking and sumptuous portrait by the best artist of the period, and at the time he was producing his best works. Presented in a fine quality carved and gilded period frame with inscription on the bottom. Provenance: Private Collection, England Colnaghi, London Ray Livingston Murphy (1923-1953), New York (acquired from the above), and by descent to Dr James Murphy, New York Art Market, Dallas Philip Mould...
Canvas, Oil
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H 57 in W 47 in D 4 in
Portrait of Isabella Marshall - Very Large 18th Century Georgian Oil Painting
By Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Portrait of Isabella Marshall’ by Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723). This large fine early 18th century oil painting of a Georgian beauty is signed an...
Oil
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H 50 in W 41 in
Portrait of Mrs. Fisher of Packerton, Warwick in Brown dress with Blue Shawl
By Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in Miami, FL
Three-quarter-length, in a blue dress and red shawl, a wooded landscape in the distance Provenance: Sotheby's The work is stunning and has a great elegant presence in person
Oil