In 17th century Britain portraiture flourished and between the 1640’s and 1680 the dominant court painter Sir Peter Lely was at the forefront of this craft. Having arriving in England from he rapidly established himself as one of the country’s most important portrait painters, including Charles I as patron. He painted the most elite and influential members of the court and it was the de rigueur of the day to have one’s portrait painted by him. He ran a prolific studio and to accommodate this demand it was necessary to employ a vast number of studio assistants, whom along a vast number of pupils and copyists (see Charles Beale and Thomas Hawker), carried on Lely’s traditions after his death, well into the 18th century (many producing variations of Lely’s themes). These works are often fine works of art in themselves.Our painting is such an example. Painted in the 17th century, it depicts a lady with long brown hair in corkscrew curls and the ever-so omnipresent pearls. The tra...