Godfrey Kneller (1646-1743), In The Manner Of - Portrait Of A Court Lady In A Silk Dress

Oil on canvas. Marouflage on wooden oval. Exquisite technique.

Under the Restoration and Anne's reign in England, frivolity was not a flaw, but an art form elevated to social status, and no one captured its essence like Sir Godfrey Kneller. His portraits of the "beauties" of the court, many of whom were true Georgian heroines before their time, embody the natural elegance that characterized the spirit of the age: a mixture of aristocratic self-importance and studied nonchalance. Kneller's swift, confident brushstrokes give these women an almost sculptural yet ethereal presence, where silks seem to drape their shoulders with a freedom that prefigures the emancipation of the salons. In her paintings, dignity lies not in the rigidity of etiquette, but in that languorous, confident look that suggests that, behind the lace and pearls, lies an indomitable will, capable of governing political fates as well as the whims of the heart.

- Image size unframed: 65 x 75 cm / 73 x 84 cm with exclusive custom frame.