Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 1700s.
She holds a bunch of flowers in her lap, which signify two things. Firstly, they are a symbol of fecundity and future fruitfulness at a time when the main purpose of an aristocratic woman was to produce a son and heir.
Secondly, they are a reminder of the transience of youth and of life itself, especially when this period was one with a high mortality rate.
She sits on a terrace overlooking a garden, behind her and beneath her left arm is a costly silk fabric trimmed with gold lace.
SIR GODFREY KNELLER (1646-1723) 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 Painterto the King, 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 work fully expresses the spirit of the English Baroque and had a profound impact on English portraiture with many artists copying his style.
SIZE: 56 x 46.5 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE:Yorkshire Private Collection.
Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 1700s.
Roy and nadine precious: specialists in portraiture from the 16th to the 20th century. Established in 1972.
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Portrait a Young Lady in Red C.1700; Circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller.
