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Sir Godfrey KnellerPortrait of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (1665-1745), three-quarter length
$27,270.32
£20,000
€23,206.53
CA$37,545.45
A$41,088.98
CHF 21,711.92
MX$490,424.19
NOK 277,071.18
SEK 253,404.14
DKK 173,340.69
About the Item
Portrait of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (1665-1745), three-quarter length, standing wearing Armour, holding his baton, a skirmish beyond
Oil on canvas
In a carved wood frame
The Artist
Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723), German by birth, rose to become the foremost portrait painter in late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century England. Serving five monarchs—from Charles II to George I—he developed a grand yet refined courtly style that blended Baroque splendour with an elegant restraint, helping to shape the visual identity of the English court for a generation.
This portrait of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (1665–1745) is a fine example of Kneller’s mature work. The Duke, a prominent statesman and military commander, played a central role in the turbulent politics of early eighteenth-century Britain. Painted around 1705, the portrait presents Ormonde at the height of his power, roughly a decade before accusations of High Treason forced him into exile. Kneller’s treatment not only conveys the Duke’s authority but also epitomises the artist’s ability to combine grandeur, poise, and psychological presence.
The Sitter
At the time of the painting, Ormonde will have been fresh off a series of military victories, and this portrait – no doubt commissioned by the Duke himself – shows the subject in all his martial glory. We see the Captain-General standing in front of the field of battle, resplendent in his armour and with his blue Garter Sash.
Ormonde is serene in his heroic pose, even as a skirmish takes place in the background. The skirmish itself is lightly but expertly painted: a horse twists in agony, his rider (in blue) falling from his mount. Nearby a standard is held aloft, below which more men and more horses clash. Plumes of smoke (echoing the white of Ormonde’s wig) rise from the battle, merging into the reddening sky above, as the sun sets on what no doubt has been a successful day’s campaign.
After 1705 Ormonde went on to further military and political triumphs, becoming a key figure in the Tory Ministry of 1710-1714. Yet after Queen Anne’s death, he was implicated in the Jacobite Rising of 1715 and accused of High Treason. He fled the country, spending the remainder of his life in exile, first in Spain and then in France.
Kneller’s portrait of Ormonde serves as a reminder of the sudden swings of history, and indeed of life itself, and how the mighty can soon become the fallen.
Literature: Sir Godfrey Kneller and the English Baroque Portrait, J. Douglas Stewart, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1983.
The Southwell Collection
Everett Fine Art is excited to present this remarkable collection of paintings assembled over generations by the Southwell family, once resident at Kings Weston House, a fine 18th-century estate on the outskirts of Bristol.
The collection was first established during the 18th and early 19th centuries, and many of the works were personally chosen for the enjoyment they brought.
When Kings Weston was sold in 1833, much of the collection passed to the Russell branch of the family. The Russells continued to enrich the collection through the 19th century, commissioning works that reflected the interests and pastimes they valued-most notably, portraits of family members, horses and beloved pets. Thanks to the generosity of the Inge family, who acted as custodians during the 20th century, the collection remained largely intact.
In more recent years, the paintings returned to family ownership, where they have been carefully restored and preserved by Lord de Clifford (27th Baron de Clifford). Now, a number of these works are offered for sale.
- Creator:Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646 - 1723, British)
- Dimensions:Height: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)Width: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Taunton, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2028217354112
Sir Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller was a leading English Baroque portraitist whose subjects included nobility, politicians, poets, writers and other notable figures. His figurative and portrait paintings were in great demand for more than three decades around the turn of the 18th century.
Kneller was born in Lübeck, Germany, in 1646. His father was a painter and a city surveyor, positions which gave Kneller the opportunity of a university education. He studied mathematics at Leiden University in the Netherlands before shifting to painting, studying under luminaries such as Ferdinand Bol and Rembrandt.
In 1672, Kneller moved to Italy where he spent time in Rome and Venice painting portraits for the nobility. Around 1676, he moved to England, where he opened a studio. An encounter with the Duke of Monmouth led to an introduction to King Charles II, and Kneller became a court painter, garnering a reputation for his grand style. The young painter’s portraits had a penetrating quality that evoked the subject’s presence through like-like qualities on canvas.
In 1684, Kneller traveled to France to paint Louis XIV. Following the death of Charles II, he became the court painter for James II and later worked for his successors, William and Mary. Kneller was knighted in 1692 and received an honorary doctorate of law from the University of Oxford in 1695.
Between 1700 and 1720, he painted 42 portraits of members of the Kit-Cat Club, a political and literary group. Mary II also commissioned him to paint the Hampton Court Beauties, a series of paintings featuring the most graceful ladies of the royal court.
In 1711, Kneller became the governor of the London Academy and subsequently won re-election every year until 1718. King George I made him a baronet in 1715.
Kneller died in London in 1723, with hundreds of unfinished paintings remaining in the prolific portrait master's studio.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Sir Godfrey Kneller’s paintings.
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