18th Century British Portrait Of An Elegant Lady

A fine and highly decorative portrait of an 18th century lady, traditionally identified as Flora MacFarlane, attributed to Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) Relatively few portraits from this period depict the sitter in profile and this elegant young beauty is turned towards on the left, her long, swan-shaped neck is elongated and her hair is gathered loosely upwards and held in place with a flower-studded headband. Flora has a peach and cream complexion and rosebud lips and she wears a bright blue silk dress held in place at her shoulder by a single pearl. Of particular note is the well-preserved pigments of this painting as well as the impasto brushwork employed by the artist. This beautiful painting is presented in excellent preserved condition and is ready to hang and enjoy in its original elaborate antique frame with soft gilding, which is in itself a work of art. Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) Kneller studied under Ferdinand Bol, and possibly 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 portrait painter of the generation after Lely. He enjoyed the office of principal painter to the king, first jointly with John Riley (d. 1691), 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 his influence on other artists was great. High resolution images on request. Worldwide shipping available. Oval canvas: 60 cm x 50 cm Framed: 78cm x 67 cm