Study of a young girl
Born in Lübeck, Kneller joined the army before deciding to pursue an artistic career. He trained in Amsterdam, traveled to Italy, and reached England around 1676. The recent death of Sir Peter Lely, England’s leading portraitist, opened an unanticipated path to success. By 1680, Kneller was Charles II’s court artist and held that position under successive monarchs while also operating a successful London portrait studio. His drawings are rarely found outside Britain, and this study of a young girl is uncharacteristically lively when compared to chalk studies that the artist routinely made in preparation for paintings. The subject’s expression conveys a distinct individuality, enhanced by loosely piled hair and bunched ribbons affixed to shoulder and bodice.
Artwork Details
- Title: Study of a young girl
- Artist: Sir Godfrey Kneller (German, Lübeck 1646–1723 London)
- Date: 1690–1710
- Medium: Black chalk
- Dimensions: Sheet: 8 1/16 × 5 7/8 in. (20.5 × 14.9 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Drawings and Prints Gifts, 2022
- Object Number: 2022.45
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Multiple artists/makers
1715
Multiple artists/makers
1690
Sir Godfrey Kneller
1700–1725
Multiple artists/makers
1721
Sir Godfrey Kneller
ca. 1690–95
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