Skip to main content

Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Dutch, 1618-1680
Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680) was born in Germany at Soest in Westphalia in 1618. Though his family name was van der Faes, he assumed the name Lely after the lily that was carved on the gable of his father’s home in The Hague. He moved to England in 1641, the year that Van Dyck died, and succeeded Van Dyck. He was court painter to Kind Charles I and King Charles II. By working for many of the patrons of the late van Dyck, Lely rapidly established himself as one of the country’s most important portrait painters.
to
1
1
2
2
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
5
3
5
3
3
3
1
1
5
5
3
3
5
776
758
754
665
3
5
Artist: Sir Peter Lely
Portrait of young Lady, c. 1656-58
Portrait of young Lady, c. 1656-58

Portrait of young Lady, c. 1656-58

By Sir Peter Lely

Located in Edinburgh, Scotland

Sir Peter Lely (Soest 1618-London 1680) Portrait of young Lady, c. 1656-58 Half-length, wearing pearls and a blue dress, with her shirt revealed Formerly identified as Elizabeth Clay...

Category

1650s Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Lady Diana Bruce in Blue Dress & Cut Sleeves c.1660-1670, Peter Lely
Portrait of Lady Diana Bruce in Blue Dress & Cut Sleeves c.1660-1670, Peter Lely

Portrait of Lady Diana Bruce in Blue Dress & Cut Sleeves c.1660-1670, Peter Lely

By Sir Peter Lely

Located in London, GB

Portrait of Lady Diana Bruce in a Blue Dress with Cut Sleeves c.1660-1670 Circle of Sir Peter Lely (1616-1680) Presented by Titan Fine Art is a captivating portrait of the noble Lad...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Portrait of a Lady, in Black Dress with Red Satin Sleeves and Pearls c.1660-1680
Portrait of a Lady, in Black Dress with Red Satin Sleeves and Pearls c.1660-1680

Portrait of a Lady, in Black Dress with Red Satin Sleeves and Pearls c.1660-1680

By Sir Peter Lely

Located in London, GB

Portrait of a Lady, in a Black Dress with Red Satin Sleeves and Pearls English School c.1660–1680 Circle of Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680) This striking portrait is a compelling exampl...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Of Philadelphia, 17th Century Probably Philadelphia Carey Of Aske Hall
Portrait Of Philadelphia, 17th Century Probably Philadelphia Carey Of Aske Hall

Portrait Of Philadelphia, 17th Century Probably Philadelphia Carey Of Aske Hall

By Sir Peter Lely

Located in Liphook, GB

Portrait Of Philadelphia, 17th Century Probably Philadelphia Carey Of Aske Hall, Richmond, North Yorkshire, English Courier & Lady In Waiting to Princess Elizabeth Studio Of Sir Pe...

Category

17th Century Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Related Items
"Currency #201" Blue Portrait  Artwork with French Text on Red Background
"Currency #201" Blue Portrait  Artwork with French Text on Red Background

"Currency #201" Blue Portrait Artwork with French Text on Red Background

By Natasha Lelenco

Located in FISTERRA, ES

“Currency #201” is a circular mixed media portrait on wood featuring a surreal blue figure against a vibrant red background. Around the head, the French inscription reads: “Nous, les...

Category

2010s Pop Art Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Portrait Noblewoman Kneller 17/18th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master Art
Portrait Noblewoman Kneller 17/18th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master Art

Portrait Noblewoman Kneller 17/18th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master Art

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Godfrey Kneller (Lübeck 1646 – London 1723) Portrait of an English noblewoman, presumably Mary Capel, Countess of Essex (1679–1726) Oil on canvas 128 x 104 cm. In frame 146 x...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Oil

Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850
Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850

Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850, c. 1850

$1,480

H 13.75 in W 11.5 in D 1.75 in

Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850

Located in Chicago, IL

Painted in the 19th century, this exquisite miniature portrait wonderfully exemplifies realism in traditional oil painting. The small artwork is painted in the conventional portraiture style of the Old Masters, and achieves soft realism with fine brushwork and a subdued, neutral palette. The half length portrait depicts a fine Victorian woman dressed in all black with a delicate lace collar and bonnet. She wears a ruby broach...

Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Oil

Oil on Canvas Painting Portrait of the Italian Noble Family of Zanardi Count
Oil on Canvas Painting Portrait of the Italian Noble Family of Zanardi Count

Oil on Canvas Painting Portrait of the Italian Noble Family of Zanardi Count

By Lucia Casalini Torelli

Located in Firenze, IT

This museum quality old master oil on canvas formal portrait painting depicting the family of the Count Zanardi is signed by the artist- the female painter Lucia Casalini Torelli- and published in a book dedicated to Casalini Torelli’s workshop and academy. This palatial masterpiece artwork comes directly from the ancient Villa Maraini Guerrieri - Palidano di Gonzaga (Mantua), an historic Italian heritage building owned by the descendants of the family portrayed for more than two centuries, until 1998. The big scale of this oil on canvas masterpiece painting states the relevance of Lucia Casalini Torelli as a painter. The present artwork is a formal family portrait painting that aim to introduce the characters depicted according to their social role in the society. The noble family is all gathered under a loggia overlooking a park, the landscape in the background is partially covered by a beautiful red cloth on the right side. The father stands up and holds the hand of his eldest son, proudly introducing his future heir. The son wears a light-blue dress and red boots, he is depicted in a serious pose holding a black tricorn hat under his arm and a rapier sword on his belt. The mother wears an elegant gold and dark green brocade dress, she is sitting with her youngest daughter on her knees while her second son is by her side. The little daughter wears a lovely long red and dress with white lace and holds an apple on her hand. The son stands next to his mother and is dressed in a brown priestly clothes. This palatial old masters piece was probably painted in 1740 due to the similarities with Cardinal Doria’ s portrait, now on display at the Doria Palace Museum, the official residence of the Prince of Genoa. The painting features original canvas (“prima tela”) and antique original patina, it is in excellent overall condition considering the age, use and its large scale. A formal detailed condition report and the results of the inspection with the UV lamp accompanied by photos is available on request. As well as for its exceptional quality and quite perfect state of conservation, this painting is particularly important and even more valuable both for the artist who painted it and for its absolutely exclusive provenance. Lucia painted the most prominent and powerful noble families of her time, the location of these paintings is unknown to the art market as it is extremely likely that the portraits are still kept in private collections. Furthermore, Lucia was one of the most appreciated artists of her time, so important that she was admitted as a member of the academy at a time when women were forbidden to attend these studies. In 1706, Felice Torelli...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th Century portrait oil painting of a lady in an ermine trimmed cloak
18th Century portrait oil painting of a lady in an ermine trimmed cloak

18th Century portrait oil painting of a lady in an ermine trimmed cloak

By Sir Godfrey Kneller

Located in Nr Broadway, Worcestershire

Circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller Dutch, (1646-1723) Portrait of a Lady in an Ermine Trimmed Cloak Oil on canvas Image size: 26.5 inches x 22.5 inches Size including frame: 33.5 inches x 29.5 inches A well-executed half-length portrait of a lady painted in a feigned oval, circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller. The use of a feigned oval was a device used in portraiture to give a sense of depth and add an intimacy to the painting, drawing your attention to the sitter. The subject, posed without her wig in the undressed fashion of the day, wears a blue ermine trimmed blue cloak over a white silk robe...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Lady, Mary Hammond, Oil on Panel c.1618-22, Manor House Provenance
Portrait of Lady, Mary Hammond, Oil on Panel c.1618-22, Manor House Provenance

Portrait of Lady, Mary Hammond, Oil on Panel c.1618-22, Manor House Provenance

By Cornelius Johnson

Located in London, GB

Portrait of Mary Hammond in Sumptuous Attire, Jewels and Lace c.1618-22 Circle of Cornelius Johnson (1593-1661) This portrait of a lady, presented by Titan Fine Art, is an exquisite example of early seventeenth-century portraiture, remarkable both for the lavishness of its subject’s attire and for the distinguished provenance that has accompanied it across four centuries that adds a rich layer of historical significance. It was once part of the notable collection of Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet (1628–1699) at Moor Park, a stately mansion in Hertfordshire. Temple was a diplomat, essayist, philosopher, and the patron of Jonathan Swift. He was a key participate at an important period in English history, helping not only to negotiate the Triple Alliance, but also the marriage between William of Orange and Princess Mary. His collection at Moor Park was well known in its day, reflecting both his cultivated taste in art and literature and his international connections. Its fabulous attire, rendered with almost microscopic attention, is not merely decorative but emblematic of a world in which visual display was a language of power. Its provenance, stretching from the English country house and Enlightenment scholarship to modernist circles, forms a microcosm of cultural exchange across four centuries. Thus, the portrait of Mary Hammond stands as both a masterpiece of early seventeenth-century craftsmanship and a witness to the grand narrative of collecting and connoisseurship—a testament to the enduring fascination of beauty, status, and history intertwined. By tradition the portrait depicts Mary Hammond (born c.1602), who was Sir William Temple’s mother, and the daughter of the royal physician who served James I, Dr John Hammond (c.1555–1617) and whose family owned Chertsey Abbey in Surrey. The woman appears between 18 and 25 years old, and Mary would be about 18–20 when the portrait was painted circa 1620, therefore this matches the apparent age of the sitter and the fashion perfectly. Mary stood at the intersection of learned/courtly and gentry worlds. On 22 June 1627 she married her first cousin (a common practice for consolidating family wealth and influence during that era.) Sir John Temple (1600-1677) at St Michael, Cornhill in the City of London. The couple resided nearby, at Blackfriars. Her marriage to Sir Temple placed her at the heart of the social and political circles that shaped British history. The couple had at least five children, and they became highly significant historical figures: The eldest son, Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet, became a distinguished diplomat, statesman, and essayist, famous for his role in the Triple Alliance and as a patron and mentor to the writer Jonathan Swift – our portrait was in his collection. Their daughter, Martha Temple, later Lady Giffard, was a notable figure in her own right. She became her brother William's first biographer and a respected letter-writer, providing a rare female perspective on the events and high society of the time. Another son, also named Sir John Temple, became Attorney General for Ireland and was involved in the turbulent politics surrounding the English Civil War and the Act of Settlement in Ireland. Mary died in November 1638 after giving birth to twins and was buried at Penshurst, Kent. The family's connection to Penshurst Place is a major point of interest as this historic manor was the seat of the Sidney family, a major aristocratic and literary dynasty. The portrait was in the collection of the Mary’s son, Sir William Temple. From there it descended to his daughter, and then to her nephew, the Reverend Nicholas Bacon of Spixworth Park, Norfolk (his mother was Dorothy Temple who died in 1758). Indeed, by this time, many Temple relics were in the collection at Spixworth including the engagement ring of the illustrious Dorothy Osborne, Lady Temple, wife of Sir William Temple. The portrait thus linked two prominent English families—the Temples and the Bacons—for generations. It is listed in a Spixworth Park inventory of 27 October 1910 by the local collector and art historian, Prince Duleep Singh. He described it with characteristic precision as: “No. 69. Lady Half Length, body and face turned towards the sinister, hazel eyes upwards to the dexter, red hair dressed low and over the ears, a jewelled coronet behind, pearl ear-rings tied with black strings. Dress: black, bodice cut low and square, with lace all round the opening and over shoulders, sleeves with double slashes showing red lining and lace under, falling thin pleated lace collar, black strings tied behind it, a jewel suspended on a black string round the neck, and a double row of agate and silver beads all round to the shoulders. M. In brown veined stone frame. Age 30. Date c.1620. It is called ‘Dutch portrait from Moor Park, mentioned by Nicholas Bacon of Coddenham and Shrubland as a very valuable painting.’ A few years later, when Robert Bacon Longe’s executors sold the contents of Spixworth Park (19–22 May 1912), the portrait appeared as lot 262, described as: “A very valuable half-length portrait on panel, ‘Dutch Lady, with deep lace collar and pearl and amethyst necklace, pendant, and ear-rings, and auburn hair, with coronet’ Early Dutch School 1620.” Following this sale the painting entered the collection of David and Constance Garnett, prominent literary figures of the early twentieth century, before being gifted to Andre Vladimervitch Tchernavin by 1949, and subsequently passed by him to the present owners in 1994. The two great houses associated with the painting, Moor Park and Spixworth Park, further underscore its pedigree. Moor Park, in Hertfordshire, was among the grandest country estates of seventeenth-century England—its gardens famously redesigned by Sir William Temple himself and later influencing landscape design across Europe. Sir William's Temple's secretary was Jonathan Swift, who lived at Moor Park between 1689 and 1699. Swift began to write "A Tale of the Tub" and "The Battle of the Books" at Moor Park. Spixworth Park, near Norwich, was an Elizabethan country house in Spixworth, Norfolk, located just north of the city of Norwich. It was home to successive generations of the Bacon family, one of Norfolk’s most distinguished dynasties (later, the Bacon Longe family), who were considerable land owners (owning Reymerston Hall, Norfolk, Hingham Hall, Norfolk, Dunston Hall, Norfolk, Abbot's Hall, Stowmarket, and Yelverton Hall, Norfolk). Spixworth Hall and the surrounding parkland remained in the Longe family for 257 years until 1952, when it was demolished. Rendered with meticulous precision and sumptuous detail, the painting depicts an elegantly dressed woman—her poise, costume, and jewels all communicating a message of wealth, refinement, and social rank. Every brushstroke conveys an artist deeply attuned to the textures of luxury and the nuances of feminine dignity. The sitter’s attire is nothing short of magnificent. Her bodice and sleeves are fashioned from the finest black silk or satin, the fabric absorbing and reflecting light in equal measure, suggesting both depth and lustre. Around her shoulders lies an opulent lace ruff—a deep, radiating lace collar worked in such intricate detail that it testifies to both the artist’s technical skill and the sitter’s extravagant taste. Lace of this quality, especially Venetian or Flemish bobbin lace, was one of the costliest materials available in early seventeenth-century Europe, its weight worth more than gold, and was a marker of prestige that rivalled jewels in value. The painter has taken great care to delineate every loop and scallop of the lace, achieving an almost tactile realism. Pale skin was also a desired beauty standard, sometimes accentuated with contrasting black ribbons or strings. Her jewels amplify this display of affluence. Matching earrings and a delicate coronet or jewelled hair ornament with a feather adorn her hair, which is styled in the modest yet fashionable manner of the time. These details are far from decorative excess—they serve as visual emblems of social standing, refinement, and lineage. Portraits of this kind were statements of both identity and aspiration, intended to project a family’s prosperity and moral virtue to posterity. The portrait was most likely painted in London around 1618-1622. The low-cut, décolletage-revealing neckline was fashionable in the courts of England and France during the late Elizabethan and Jacobean eras (c. 1590s-1610s), this style did not prevail in the public fashion of the Low Countries at this time. This style of lace ruff — delicate needle lace with geometric openwork — was fashionable from c.1615 to 1622, and the jewelled caul (hair net) and lace edging over a stiffened coif are consistent with high-status English women’s portraiture between 1610–1620. The puffed sleeve slash and the use of pink satin beneath black velvet belong squarely to the late Jacobean...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Dutch-Flemish Baroque old master - Late 17th century nobleman portrait oil
Dutch-Flemish Baroque old master - Late 17th century nobleman portrait oil

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...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

What are you dreaming about? Kind, warm, empathy, inner voice, friendship, pet
What are you dreaming about? Kind, warm, empathy, inner voice, friendship, pet

What are you dreaming about? Kind, warm, empathy, inner voice, friendship, pet

By Anna Soghomonyan

Located in Oslo, NO

A girl stands with her eyes closed, her deer beside her—two beings breathing in the same silence, bound by something older than words. This is an oil painting from "Alter Ego" seri...

Category

2010s Expressionist Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Gentleman in a Blue Coat Standing by a Curtain c.1695, Netscher
Portrait of a Gentleman in a Blue Coat Standing by a Curtain c.1695, Netscher

Portrait of a Gentleman in a Blue Coat Standing by a Curtain c.1695, Netscher

Located in London, GB

Portrait of a Gentleman in Blue Coat Standing by Curtain c.1695 Attributed to Constantyn Netscher (c.1668-c.1723), not signed The gentleman in this portrait has been depicted standi...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

SAMURAI -Italian School -  Oil on Canvas Italian Figurative Painting
SAMURAI -Italian School -  Oil on Canvas Italian Figurative Painting

SAMURAI -Italian School - Oil on Canvas Italian Figurative Painting

By Maximilian Ciccone

Located in Napoli, IT

Samurai - Maximilian Ciccone - Italia - Oil on canvas cm.210x120- In this majestic oil on canvas painting the Artist Ciccone portrays a samurai, exhibiting the Japanese warrior cast...

Category

2010s Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

SPRING PORTRAIT- French School Impressionist - Italian Oil on Canvas Painting
SPRING PORTRAIT- French School Impressionist - Italian Oil on Canvas Painting

SPRING PORTRAIT- French School Impressionist - Italian Oil on Canvas Painting

By Jean Philipe Moreno

Located in Napoli, IT

SPRING PORTRAIT - Oil on canvas cm.30x24 by Jean Philipe Moreno, Italy 2002. Frame available on request from our workshop. Moreno’s portrait depicts a young Parisian woman, her face ...

Category

2010s Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Previously Available Items
Portrait of Lady, Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Northumberland, Peter Lely
Portrait of Lady, Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Northumberland, Peter Lely

Portrait of Lady, Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Northumberland, Peter Lely

By Sir Peter Lely

Located in London, GB

Portrait of Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Northumberland (1646-1690) (later Duchess of Montagu) c.1665-1669 Studio of Peter Lely (1618-1680) This exemplary three-quarter-length...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Bridget Drury Lady Shaw, formerly Viscountess Kilmorey
Portrait of Bridget Drury Lady Shaw, formerly Viscountess Kilmorey

Portrait of Bridget Drury Lady Shaw, formerly Viscountess Kilmorey

By Sir Peter Lely

Located in London, GB

Sir Peter Lely (Soest 1618 – 1680 London) Portrait of lady with a crown, possibly Bridget Drury Lady Shaw, formerly Viscountess Kilmorey, later Lady Baber (d.1696) c.1665 Oil on canvas 46 1/2 x 40 3/4 inches, Framed 42 1/4 x 36 1/4 inches, Unframed Inscribed left [……….]Isabella James Mulraine wrote the following for this piece: This portrait dates to the middle of the 1660s, the decade when Lely’s career took off as successor to Sir Anthony van Dyck. At the Restoration Charles II had appointed him Principal Painter to the King and paid a pension £200 per annum ‘as formerly to Sr. Vandyke...’1 Lely had trained in Haarlem and he was in his early twenties when he came to London in 1643. He was an astute businessman and a wise courtier. In 1650 he painted a portrait of Oliver Cromwell (Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery) while maintaining links with the Royalist exiles through the 1650s. He had arrived in England as a painter of small-scale portraits and lush scenes of nymphs in landscapes in a Dutch style. His experience of Van Dyck in English collections transformed his painting. His lavish and alluring vision of Arcadia exactly captured the spirit of the Court and as Principal Painter he dominated English portraiture for the next twenty years. Lely ran a highly efficient studio along Netherlandish lines, employing a team of specialists like the drapery painter John Baptist Gaspars and young artists-in-training like Nicolas de Largilliere. He had numerous rivals during that period, and by 1670 he had introduced numbered standard poses to speed up production, while collaborating with printmakers for further revenue and advertising. He died in 1680 of a stroke while painting, working to the last. The portrait, painted at a date when Lely’s poses and execution were still individual and inventive shows a lady sitting at three-quarter length facing away from the viewer. She has begun to turn towards the viewer, a pose with a long pedigree in art, first used by Leonardo da Vinci in the Mona Lisa (Louvre). She steadies her blue drapery where it might slip from her arm with the movement, a flash of realism beautifully captured. Like Van Dyck, Lely painted his female sitters in a timeless costume rather than contemporary fashion, showing a loose gown and floating silk draperies. It presented the sitter as a classical ideal. The portrait would not date. The saffron dress may be the work of a drapery painter but the brown scarf must be by Lely himself, and appears unfinished, broadly sketched in behind the shoulder. The delicate blue glaze and nervous highlights suggest shimmering translucence. Lely was a master of painting hands – his hand studies are marvels of drawing – and the lady’s hands are superb, exactly drawn, delicately modelled and expressive. The fidgety gestures, clutching the gown, fiddling with the edge of the scarf, give the portrait psychological bite, suggesting the personality behind the calm courtier’s expression, adding to the sense shown in the look of the eyes and mouth that the lady is about to speak. The portrait’s language is Vandykian. The inspiration comes directly from Van Dyck’s English portraits of women. Lely owned Van Dyck’s Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Thimbleby and Dorothy Viscountess Andover (National Gallery, London) and the sitter’s costume quotes Lady Andover’s saffron dress and brown scarf. But Lely paints a generation who sat nearer to the ground and through a dialogue of expression and gesture he shows sitters who are more flesh and blood than Van Dyck’s. The background with a column and curtain is different to those shown in most of Lely’s portraits of women. They tend to include trees or fountains, with a glimpse of landscape. But there are other examples. A portrait of the King’s reigning mistress, Barbara Villiers Duchess of Cleveland...

Category

1660s Sir Peter Lely Paintings

Materials

Oil

Sir Peter Lely paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Sir Peter Lely paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Sir Peter Lely in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Not every interior allows for large Sir Peter Lely paintings, so small editions measuring 21 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Giovan Battista Viola, and Suzi Fadel Nassif. Sir Peter Lely paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $11,379 and tops out at $83,120, while the average work can sell for $30,579.
Questions About Sir Peter Lely Paintings
  • 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 19, 2025
    Sir Peter Blake was famous for his influence on the art world. He is widely regarded as the godfather of British Pop art and the Young British Artists (YBA) movement. Blake created paintings, collages and prints that blended modernity and nostalgia. Though best known for designing the album cover for the Beatles’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, he considered painting to be central to his oeuvre. While celebrity figures such as Marilyn Monroe informed Blake's work, folk art, fairground signs and an overall sense of nostalgia also influenced his style. On 1stDibs, explore an assortment of Peter Blake art.