Portrait of Godfrey Kneller
Date
late 18th century
Sitter
Godfrey Kneller (1646 - 1723, British) , Painter
Creator
Joseph Baker (British) , Engraver
After
Godfrey Kneller (1646 - 1723, British) , Painter
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (print): 186mm
width (print): 135mm
width (print): 135mm
Subject
Description
Half-length portrait of Kneller wearing a long, curled wig, cravat and robe. Body turned to the left as viewed, head in half-profile looking towards the viewer. Presented in an oval, supported on a pedestal.
Plate from a grangerized copy of A history of the Royal Society, with memoirs of the Presidents…by Charles Richard Weld (London, John W. Parker, 1848). In this edition, the original two volumes were extended to eight volumes with the addition of extra-illustrations and documents, by Alexander Meyrick Broadley.
The print appears at p.423 in volume 4 of the adapted set of Weld’s History. Weld’s text notes that Sir Hans Sloane donated his portrait to the Royal Society, painted by Kneller.
Inscribed below: ‘SIR GODFREY KNELLER KNT. & BART. Josh. Baker Sculpt.
Sir Godfrey Kneller [formerly Gottfried Kniller] (1646-1723) German painter active in Britain. The leading portrait artist of his day, his works included members of the Kit-Kat Club.
Plate from a grangerized copy of A history of the Royal Society, with memoirs of the Presidents…by Charles Richard Weld (London, John W. Parker, 1848). In this edition, the original two volumes were extended to eight volumes with the addition of extra-illustrations and documents, by Alexander Meyrick Broadley.
The print appears at p.423 in volume 4 of the adapted set of Weld’s History. Weld’s text notes that Sir Hans Sloane donated his portrait to the Royal Society, painted by Kneller.
Inscribed below: ‘SIR GODFREY KNELLER KNT. & BART. Josh. Baker Sculpt.
Sir Godfrey Kneller [formerly Gottfried Kniller] (1646-1723) German painter active in Britain. The leading portrait artist of his day, his works included members of the Kit-Kat Club.
Object history
Print from Charles Richard Weld's A history of the Royal Society, vol. 4... (London, John W. Parker, 1848) grangerized by the writer and collector Alexander Meyrick Broadley (1847–1916) into 8 volumes, adding illustrative material and manuscript items to Weld's text. The books were initially owned by Ludwig Mond FRS (1839–1909), and according to an inscription by his son Robert Ludwig Mond FRS (1867–1938) they were intended for presentation to the Society. This eventually happened in late 1959, the donor being the politician Harry Nathan (1889–1963), Lord Nathan of Churt.
Related fellows
Charles Richard Weld (1813 - 1869, British) , Author
Associated place