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ANTIQUE #SA1039198

Oil On Canvas Portrait Of William Congreve C.1709 - Studio Of Sir Godfrey Kneller

Status: This item has been sold
Sold by: Period Portraits

This fine work reidentified by Period Portraits, depicts the famous playwright and poet William Congreve (1670-1729).
 
The identification of this portrait is confirmed by the use of an identical head that appears in a 1709 portrait of Congreve by the Studio of Godfrey Kneller (NG 67) in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), London. A close comparison shows the exact same features, including the calm eyes, strong nose and hearty double chin. His appearance here relates to a white chalk and charcoal head study by Kneller that survives in the Courtauld Collection, which may well have been used to produce this painting.
 
As one of Britain’s most fashionable painters, demand for Kneller’s brush often exceeded his output. To remedy this, the artist employed a vast number of studio assistants to complete copies and variations on the master’s own paintings. Bearing in mind the quality of the handling, it is conceivable that the portrait on offer was a repetition completed by a studio assistant working in Kneller’s studio. Making use of a head study, perhaps the aforementioned Courtauld sheet, the artist working on this picture changed the position of the sitter’s body and placed it within a shady grove.
 
Kneller included a likeness of Congreve in his famous Kit-Cat series, which also survives at the NPG (NG 3199). This surviving work, in a grand format with exuberant brushwork, is an example of Kneller working at the height of his career. The entire series, which features members of this notorious literary and political club, have come to epitomise British portraiture in the opening decades of the eighteenth century. One imagines that the following studio piece may have been painted for one of the playwright’s followers or friends. Congreve is also recorded to have collected works by Kneller, and is recorded having paid £15 for a portrait of ‘Saint Cecilia’ in June 1703.
 
William Congreve ( 1670-1729)
 
Congreve’s five plays for the theatres of Lo...
Antique #SA1039198, shown on this page, originates from the 18th century. For historical context, the timeline below highlights the period when it was made:
←C18th
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Period Portraits
Specialist dealer in portraits from the 17th century to the 20th century. Our stock includes quality oil paintings, drawings, and mezzotints
Yorkshire
United Kingdom
STATUS
THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD
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