Follower of Peter Lely, 18th-19th century.

Follower of PETER LELY (1618-1680); 18th and 19th century.
"Portrait of Barbara Villiers, the Duchess of Cleveland."
Oil on panel.
Presents faults.
It has a frame of the nineteenth century.
Measurements: 35 x 28.5 cm; 41 x 45 cm (frame).
This painting follows the model of the work of Peter Lely entitled "Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland (ca 1641-1709", which was made around 1665 as part of the series of eleven portraits that the painter made dedicated to the beauties of Windsor. Currently the painting is part of the Royal Collection of the United Kingdom and is exhibited at Hampton Court Palace.
In the work the painter offers us the portrait of a young lady of beautiful features and elegant position, hairstyle in the fashion of the early decades of the eighteenth century. The distinguished lady depicted wears a dress of voluminous folds and great sumptuousness. In her delicate hands she holds a spear and with the other a shield. Both the sumptuous flight of the dress and the bluish mantle behind her stand out for the chiaroscuro folds of its fall. At a formal level, it is worth mentioning how the figure is strongly illuminated, highlighted against a classical background that continues the artists' taste for immortalizing the portrayed in the exterior, following the then prevailing fashion in England. The brushstroke used by the artist is changing, much more precise, practically invisible, in the face, hair and bust of the woman, but looser, almost sketchy, in the dress, cloak and background.
Aesthetically the work is very close to the painting of the artist Peter Lely who, although of Dutch origin, spent most of his career in England, where he became the dominant court portraitist. He became a naturalized British subject and was knighted in 1679. Lely studied painting in Haarlem, where he may have been apprenticed to Pieter de Grebber. He became master of the Guild of St. Luke in Haarlem in 1637. He arrived in London around 1643. His early English paintings, mainly religious mythological scenes, or portraits set in a pastoral landscape, show influences of Anthony van Dyck and the Dutch Baroque.
Lely's portraits were well received and he succeeded Anthony van Dyck. As the most fashionable portraitist in England. He became a freeman of the Painter-Stainers' Company in 1647 and was portraitist to Charles I. His talent ensured that his career was not interrupted by Charles's execution, and he served Oliver Cromwell.There may be thousands of these portraits, ranging from rare first-rate originals, often of astonishing quality, to crude studio replicas by assistants trained to imitate Lely's style. Lely played an important role in the introduction of mezzotint in Britain, realizing its possibilities for publicizing his portraits.