Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 17th Century.
Nell Gwyn, (Eleanor Gwyn, Gwynne) (born Feb. 2, 1650, London, Eng.—died Nov. 14, 1687, London), English actress and mistress of Charles II. Her frank recklessness, generosity, invariable good temper, ready wit, infectious high spirits, and amazing indiscretions appealed irresistibly to a generation that welcomed in her the living antithesis of Puritanism.
Nell became a mistress of Charles II in 1669.
Of all the mistresses of the monarch, Nell was the only one beloved by the public. She was small, slender, and shapely, with a heart-shaped face, hazel eyes, and chestnut-brown hair. She was illiterate and scrawled an awkward “E.G.” at the bottom of her letters, written for her by others. She never forgot her old friends and, as far as is known, remained faithful to her royal lover from the beginning of their intimacy until his death and, after his death, to his memory. (Britannica)
SIZE: 31.5 x 28.5 inches including the frame.
PROVENANCE: With Christies, then to
Roy Precious Fine Art in the late 1990s
Private Yorkshire Collection until 2023
Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 17th Century.
Roy and nadine precious: specialists in portraiture from the 16th to the 20th century. Established in 1972.
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Portrait of Nell Gwynne, Circle of Sir Peter Lely.
