Information about Godfrey Kneller

Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (August 8,1646 – October 19, 1723) was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to British monarchs from Charles II to George I. His major works include The Chinese Convert (1687); a series of ten reigning European monarchs, including King Louis XIV of France; over 40 "Kit-cat portraits" of members of the Kit-Cat Club; and ten "beauties" of the court of William III, to match a similar series of ten beauties of the court of Charles II painted by his predecessor as court painter, Sir Peter Lely.

Sir John Vanbrugh in Godfrey Kneller's Kit-cat portrait, considered one of Kneller's finest portraits.

Kneller was born Gottfried Kniller in Lübeck, Germany. Kneller studied in Leiden, but became a pupil of Ferdinand Bol and Rembrandt in Amsterdam. He worked in Rome and Venice in the early 1670s, painting historical subjects and portraits, and later moved to Hamburg. He came to England in 1674, at the invitation of the Duke of Monmouth, accompanied by his brother, John Zacharias Kneller, who was an ornamental painter. He was introduced to, and painted a portrait of, Charles II. In England, Kneller concentrated almost entirely on portraiture. He founded a studio which churned out portraits on an almost industrial scale, relying on a brief sketch of the face with details added to a formulaic model, aided by the fashion for gentlemen to wear full wigs. His portraits set a pattern that was followed until William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds.

Nevertheless, he established himself as a leading portrait artist in England. When Sir Peter Lely died in 1680, Kneller was appointed Principal Painter to the Crown by Charles II. He was later knighted by William III. He produced a series of "Kit-cat" portraits of 48 leading politicians and men of letters, members of the Kit-Cat Club. Created a baronet by King George I, he was also head of the Kneller Academy of Painting and Drawing 1711-1716 in Great Queen Street, London. His paintings were praised by Whig luminaries such as John Dryden, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, and Alexander Pope.

Kneller died of fever in 1723 and his remains were interred in Twickenham Church (he was a churchwarden there when the 14th century nave collapsed in 1713 and was involved in the plans for its reconstruction). The site of the house he built in 1709 in Whitton near Twickenham is now occupied by the mid-19th century Kneller Hall, home of the Royal Military School of Music.

Works

In his hometown Lübeck there are works to be seen in the St. Annen Museum and in Saint Catherine Church. His former works at St. Mary's Church were destroyed by the Bombing of Lübeck 1942.

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August 8 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

1220 - Sweden was defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula.

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8th century - 9th century - 10th century
850s 860s 870s - 880s - 890s 900s 910s
885 886 887 - 888 - 889 890 891

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Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
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October 19 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal.

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Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject, most often a person. A well executed portrait is expected to show the inner essence of the subject (from the artist's point of view, of course) not just a physical likeness.
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Motto
Dieu et mon droit (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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British monarchy is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and holds the now constitutional position of head of state.
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Charles II (Charles Stuart; 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

According to royalists, Charles II became king when his father Charles I was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, the climax of the English Civil War.
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George I (George Louis; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727)<ref name="dates" /> was King of Great Britain and Ireland, from 1 August 1714 until his death. He was also a Prince Elector of the Holy Roman Empire.
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Louis XIV (baptised as Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638 – September 1, 1715) ruled as King of France and of Navarre.

He acceded to the throne on May 14 1643, a few months before his fifth birthday, but did not assume actual personal control of the
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For other items called Kit Kat or Kit Cat see Kit Kat (disambiguation).

A kit-cat portrait or kit-kat portrait is a particular size of portrait, less than half-length, but including the hands.
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For other items called Kit Kat or Kit Cat see Kit Kat (disambiguation).

The Kit-Cat Club (sometimes Kit-Kat Club) was an early 18th century English club in London with strong political and literary associations, committed to
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King William III

William III, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of Guelders, Holland, Zealand, Utrecht and Overijssel, King of England, Scotland and Ireland
Reign 12 February 1689–8 March 1702
(with Mary II until 28 December 1694)
Born
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Sir Peter Lely (14 September, 1618 - 30 November, 1680) was a painter of Dutch origin. He was the most popular portrait artist in England from soon after he arrived in the country in the 1640s to his death.
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Luebeck.

Lübeck
Holstentor
Coat of arms Location

Administration
Country Germany
State Schleswig-Holstein

District Urban district

City subdivisions
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Anthem
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
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Leiden

Flag
Coat of arms

Coordinates:
Country Netherlands
Province South Holland
Area (2006)
- Municipality 23.
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Ferdinand Bol (June 24, 1616 – August 24, 1680) was a Dutch artist, etcher, and draftsman. His surviving work is rare.

Biography

Ferdinand was born in Dordrecht as the son of a surgeon, Balthasar Bol.
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Rembrandt van Rijn

Self portrait by Rembrandt, detail (1661).
Birth name Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
July 15 1606
Leiden, Netherlands
September 4 1669 (aged 63)
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Amsterdam
Canal houses alongside the Prinsengracht

Flag
Coat of arms
Nickname: Mokum
Motto: Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig
(Valiant, Determined, Compassionate)
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Comune di Roma

Flag
Seal
Nickname: "The Eternal City"
Motto: "Senatus Populusque Romanus" (SPQR) (Latin)
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Country Italy
Region Veneto
Province Venice (VE)
Mayor Massimo Cacciari (since April 18 2005)

Area km
Population
- Total (as of January 1 2004)
- Density /km
Time zone
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Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg
Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

Flag Coat of arms

Details
Location

Coordinates
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Administration

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The title Duke of Monmouth was a title in the peerage of England. Here is some information about it and its successor dukedoms.

Dukes of Monmouth

This title was created in 1663 for James Crofts, otherwise James Scott, the illegitimate son of Charles II, King of England,
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Wig may refer to:

For a wig as in false hair, see Wig (hair);
For an article on stock index see WIG;
Wing In Ground, a type of Ground effect;
For WiG, Women in Green, see Women for Israel's Tomorrow.''
an Old English word for "holy", see weoh.

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William Hogarth (November 10, 1697 – October 26,1764) was a major English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, and editorial cartoonist who has been credited as a pioneer in western sequential art.
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Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was the most important and influential of 18th century English painters, specializing in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect.
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Godfrey Kneller

Works

See also

External links

Events

Events

Biography

Dukes of Monmouth