Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723)

• Was a German painter,
• He was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
• Kneller was court painter to English and British monarchs from Charles II to George I.
• Kneller studied in Leiden, became a pupil of Ferdinand Bol and Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn in Amsterdam.
• He travelled with his brother John Zacharias Kneller, to Rome and Venice in the early 1670s.
• He was painting historical subjects and portraits in the studio of Carlo Maratti.
• The brothers came to England in 1676, and won the patronage of the Duke of Monmouth.
• He was introduced to, and painted a portrait of, Charles II.
• His portraits set a pattern that was followed until William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds.
• When Sir Peter Lely died in 1680, Kneller was appointed Principal Painter in Ordinary to the Crown by Charles II.
• For about 20 years (c.1682-1702) he lived at No. 16-17 The Great Piazza, Covent Garden.
• He received his knighthood from William III.
• He produced a series of "Kit-cat" portraits of 48 leading politicians and men of letters, members of the Kit-Cat Club.
• Kneller married a widow, Susanna Grave, on 23 January 1704.
• The couple had no children.
• Kneller died of fever in 1723 at Great Queen Street and his remains were interred at Twickenham.
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