Peter Lely was originally born as Pieter van der Faes in the Westphalian town of Soest, which at that time belonged to the Netherlands. He later gave himself the name Lely in reference to the heraldic lily that decorated the gable of his father's house in The Hague. Lely first studied in Haarlem as a student of Pieter de Grebber. With the help of his teacher he was finally accepted into the Luke's Guild in 1637. Lely probably came to London around 1643. There he initially dealt with mythological and religious themes and also made some portraits. His style was strongly influenced by Anthony van Dyck and the Dutch Baroque. This style was very popular in England at that time. As van Dyck had died only a few years earlier, Lely was offered a good opportunity and he was soon able to establish himself as an official portrait painter at court. Even after the execution of Charles I and the establishment of a temporary republic, Lely was able to maintain his status.
With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Lely was again appointed official court painter. This time he served under Charles II, who offered him a pension of 200 pounds a year, the same amount that van Dyck received in this position at the time. Lely was also granted English citizenship. He had so many commissions as a court portraitist that he only painted the faces of his models himself. He then left the completion of the paintings to his students and assistants. In this way, Lely was able to produce a considerable number of paintings during his career. Among his most important students were Nicolas de Largillière, John Greenhill and William Wessing. Among Lely's most outstanding portraits are the series of 10 portraits of ladies-in-waiting, now known as "Windsor Beauties". Of its mythological motifs, "Nymphs at a fountain" stands out in particular. This is mainly due to the fact that Lely rarely made paintings of this kind. Lely died working on his easel. He was painting a portrait of the Duchess of Somerset. Only a year earlier, King Charles II had knighted him.
Lely was not only a popular and talented artist of his time. He was also a great art connoisseur and collector. He was particularly fond of the old masters such as Veronese, Tizian, Rubens and Claude Lorrain. He had bought many works after the execution of Charles I, when his art collection was dissolved by the Commonwealth. Lely also prepared the mezzotint in England. This is a gravure printing process developed in the Netherlands. He wanted to increase the circulation of his own works with this printing process.
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 - (MeisterDrucke-41862).jpg "Portrait of a Lady, said to be Nell Gwynne by Peter Lely")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-300210).jpg "Portrait of King Charles II by Peter Lely")
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 in Garter Robes - (MeisterDrucke-160375).jpg "Portrait of James II (1633-1701) in Garter Robes by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Susanna and the Elders by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Charles II, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, engraved by George Vertue by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643716).jpg "Portrait of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, the Philosopher by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643862).jpg "Portrait of Elizabeth, Countess of Essex by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1376575).jpg "Portrait of a Lady Said to be Lady Williams by Peter Lely")
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_(oil_on_canvas_-_(MeisterDrucke-1097309).jpg "Portrait of Mary Bagot, Countess of Middlesex and Dorset (1645-79) by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-319901).jpg "Portrait of Lucasta (Lucy Sacheverell) by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Sir Peter Lely, Dutch portrait painter born Pieter van der Faes by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Lady of the Popham Family, half-length, Behind a Casement, Wearing an Orange Dress by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1554803).jpg "Portrait of Frances Theresa Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox (1648-1702) by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Northumberland by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Edward Montagu, Engraved by H.T. Ryall, from")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-223566).jpg "Margaret Brooke, Lady Denham (1646-67) by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Lord William Russell (engraved by H. Robinson) by Peter Lely")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-158180).jpg "Portrait of Mrs Moll Davies, Mistress of Charles II, Flowers Painted by Jean Baptiste Monnoyer by Peter Lely")
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_flag_bearer_(flag_bearer)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1499001).jpg "Portrait of Vice Admiral Sir Joseph Jordan, flag bearer of Lowestoft by Peter Lely")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-155744).jpg "Anne, Countess of Exeter by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Anne, Countess of Southesk by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-376725).jpg "Portrait of P. Lenéve, Alderman of Norwich, 1656-8 by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-930972).jpg "Portrait of Sir John Lawson, c.1665 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "William Brouncker, Illustration from")
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.jpg "John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Diana Bruce, Countess of Rutland by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1645711).jpg "Portrait of Arthur Capel, Earl of Essex by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-308456).jpg "Studies of Hands by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Lady, Possibly Elizabeth Wharton by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Bust Portrait of a Young Man, so-called Samuel Pepys by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Lady by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643708).jpg "Portrait of a Boy, Probably Francis, Viscount Beauchamp by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Sir Peter Lely by Peter Lely")
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_Viscount_Ascott_and_his_sister_Lady_-_(MeisterDrucke-1104258).jpg "Double Portrait of Charles Dormer, Viscount Ascott and His Sister, Lady Elizabeth Dormer by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Sir John Nicholas, 1667 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Susan, Lady Belasyse by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Edward Montagu, First Earl of Sandwich, c. 1659-65 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "The Earl of Clarendon, Lord High Chancellor by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Catherine of Braganza, Queen of Charles II by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1501504).jpg "Flagmen of Lowestoft: Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Teddeman by Peter Lely")
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 2nd Earl of Rochester - (MeisterDrucke-293011).jpg "Portrait of John Wilmot (1647-80) 2nd Earl of Rochester by Peter Lely")
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_1st_Earl_of_Sunderland_1643_-_(MeisterDrucke-190445).jpg "Portrait of Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland by Peter Lely")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-148191).jpg "King Charles II (1630-85) by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Gramont by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Barbara Palmer, née Villiers, Lady Castlemaine and Duchess of Cleveland by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "James VII and II, when Duke of York, 1633 – 1701 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Strickland by Peter Lely")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-206788).jpg "Portrait of Oliver Cromwell by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Two Poor Knights of Windsor by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of King James II, Full Length, in Garter Robes by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Gentleman, Half-Length, in Black with a White Collar by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Sir Henry Capel 1638-1696 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of The Earl Rivers by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1127453).jpg "Portrait of Elizabeth Capel Countess of Carnarvon, c.1662 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Anne Digby, Countess of Sutherland by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "The Letter, 1650-60 by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1659334).jpg "Moses Saved from the River by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, c. 1661-1665 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Sir James Stirling by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1510207).jpg "Flagmen of Lowestoft: Vice-Admiral Sir William Berkeley by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Gentleman, Said to be Lionel Cranfield, 3rd Earl of Middlesex by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk, 1677 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount of Dundee, from")
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 Duchess of Cleveland c1680 - (MeisterDrucke-152381).jpg "Portrait of Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Percy, Wife of Arthur Capel by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Mary of Modena, Queen Consort of King James II by Peter Lely")
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 4th Earl of Southampton (oil) - (MeisterDrucke-296566).jpg "Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-900022).jpg "Lady Frances Savile, Later Lady Brudenell, c.1668 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Young Woman and Child, as Venus and Cupid by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Mrs. Leneve by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Study in Pastel, 17th Century by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Lady Essex Finch, later Countess of Nottingham by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643715).jpg "Portrait of Catherine, Lady Alington by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Elizabeth, Lady Leicester by Peter Lely")
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_First_Viscount_Townsend_(oil_on_canvas)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1483893).jpg "Horatio First Viscount Townsend by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Flagmen of Lowestoft: Vice-Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Sir John Cotton and His Family by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "The Honourable James Herbert and His Wife Jane by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Lady, probably Mary Parsons, later Mrs Draper by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Diana Kirke, Later Countess of Oxford (detail) by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Sir John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-935790).jpg "Portrait of Dr John Fell, c.1665-70 by Peter Lely")
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_first_Duke_of_Albemarle_Oil_on_canvas_-_(MeisterDrucke-1498663).jpg "Portrait of George Monck, first Duke of Albemarle. Oil on canvas by Peter Lely")
_first_Duke_of_Albemarle_Oil_on_canvas_-_(MeisterDrucke-1498663).jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of Nell Gwynne, c.1680 by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1377070).jpg "Portrait of Mrs. Bridgeman of Devonshire by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Sir William Temple by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Lord Keeper by Peter Lely")
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_and_child_as_Ve_-_(MeisterDrucke-1558436).jpg "Portrait of a Young Woman and Child as Venus and Cupid by Peter Lely")
_and_child_as_Ve_-_(MeisterDrucke-1558436).jpg)
.jpg "Edward, First Earl of Sandwich by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1102692).jpg "William, 2nd Earl of Salisbury by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1630034).jpg "Portrait of a Gentleman by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Charles Cotton by Peter Lely")
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 Churchill child - (MeisterDrucke-279939).jpg "Portrait of Winston and Arabella Churchill, children of Sir Winston Churchill by Peter Lely")
 Churchill child - (MeisterDrucke-279939).jpg)
.jpg "Abraham Cowley, c. 1658 by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1501463).jpg "Flagmen of Lowestoft: Admiral Sir George Ayscue by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1501463).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1089713).jpg "Portrait of a Young Gentleman and His Wife, c.1655-58 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Wriothesley, wife of the 11th Earl of Northumberland by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Randolph Crewe by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Henry Sydney, 17th century by Peter Lely")
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