Submit a bio  

Artist Biography & Facts
Sir Godfrey Kneller

Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646 - 1723) was active/lived in United Kingdom, England, Germany.  Sir Godfrey Kneller is known for Aristocratic portrait painting.

Biography photo for Sir Godfrey Kneller
From Lubeck, Germany, Godfrey Kneller, born with the name Gottfried Kniller, arrived in England with his brother, John Zacharias Kneller, in 1676. Godfrey had studied in Leiden with Ferdinand Bol, with Rembrandt in Amsterdam, and in Italy with Carlo Maratti.  In England, he won the patronage of the Duke of Monmouth, whose contacts combined with his talents for portraiture resulted in his becoming the leading portrait painter in England during the 17th and early 18th centuries.

He served as Court Painter from Charles II to George I. He was noted for his international style of portrait painting, which meant conveying on canvas dignity and a clear sense of rank and grace and refinement. The method was to pose the subject in elaborate costume with hands positioned authoritatively and use subtle under painting, rich coloration and a "refined patterning of light and shadow" (Flexner, 32) so that "all was fused into a single harmony" (Flexner, 35).

Among his major works wer   ...  [Displaying 1000 of 2468 characters.]  Artist bio

Artist auction records

.  askART's database currently holds 176 auction lots for Sir Godfrey Kneller (of which 124 auction records sold and 2 are upcoming at auction.)

Artist artworks for sale and wanted

.  There are 0 artworks for sale on our website by galleries and art dealers . There are 0 galleries and art dealers listing works of art by Sir Godfrey Kneller as either "Wanted" or "For Sale" .

Research resources

.  askART lists Sir Godfrey Kneller in 0 of its research Essays. Sir Godfrey Kneller has 1 artist signature examples available in our database.

Similar artists

.  There are 24 similar (related) artists for Sir Godfrey Kneller available:    Klaes (Nicolaes) Molenaer,  Francis Cotes,  Giovanni Battista Salvi,  Peter (Pieter) Lely,  Joshua Reynolds,  William Beechey,  Thomas Rowlandson,  Jacob Jordaens,  Frederic Soulacroix,  Ferdinand Victor Leon Roybet,  Thomas Gainsborough,  Jean-Louis Forain,  Constant Troyon,  John Constable,  Henry John Yeend-King,  Jules Dupre,  Paul Desire Trouillebert,  Eugenio Edouardo Zampighi,  Josef Israels,  Gustave Courbet,  Theophile Alexandre Steinlen,  Adolph Schreyer,  Bernard (Bernhard) Pothast,  Anthony Van Dyck



Copyright © 1999-2024 askART.com and underlying auction houses. All Rights Reserved. Digital copying of these images and content strictly prohibited; violators will be subject to the law including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Facts about Sir Godfrey Kneller

   Sir Godfrey Kneller  Born:  1646 - Lubeck, Germany
Died:   1723 - London, England
Known for:  Aristocratic portrait painting
Name variants:  Godfrey Kneller

From Lubeck, Germany, Godfrey Kneller, born with the name Gottfried Kniller, arrived in England with his brother, John Zacharias Kneller, in 1676. Godfrey had studied in Leiden with Ferdinand Bol, with Rembrandt in Amsterdam, and in Italy with Carlo Maratti.  In England, he won the patronage of the Duke of Monmouth, whose contacts combined with his talents for portraiture resulted in his becoming the leading portrait painter in England during the 17th and early 18th centuries.

He served as Court Painter from Charles II to George I. He was noted for his international style of portrait painting, which meant conveying on canvas dignity and a clear sense of rank and grace and refinement. The method was to pose the subject in elabora  ...  Displaying 750 of 2468 characters.

Subscriber Members, please Sign In for artist biographies and for all services.  

For non-paying users, good news! Full text bios for all artists are available every Friday.

If you are not currently a member, please See Details about membership.
Top