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Lot Essay
Sir Peter Lely, born in Soest, Westphalia, became the most celebrated and in demand portrait painter in 17th Century London, working both within and outside the court. He also became a great collector of old master paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture, in part because his success left him without the time to travel to Italy on a Grand Tour. His collection of prints and drawings was perhaps the most impressive part of this project, numbering over 10,000 sheets, all identifiable from his 'PL' stamp applied posthumously by his executors, as on the present drawing.
Lely's drawings occupy a key role in his artistic process, and he was a prolific draughtsman, although relatively few examples are still extant. He would first sketch the posture in chalk, in part for discussion with the patron, before making further sketches of the drapery to aid his studio assistants who would help with parts of the painting. He often re-used poses or ideas, and kept many of these drawings, including the present sheet, in his studio until his death. The focus of his draughtsmanship was very much pose and drapery, and he did not make preparatory drawings from life of the heads of his sitters, preferring to paint them directly onto the canvas.
While Matthew Bloxam identified the sitter here as Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, Sir Oliver Millar described it as: 'a study for a portrait of circa 1665; and a good example of the type of drawing by which a design could be submitted to a patron. In the general disposition of costume, arms and hands, the drawing is preparatory to a three-quarter-length design used for Lady Elizabeth Carey, the Countess of Sutherland, and Miss Brown (a studio piece). In all three the dress has been enriched with pearls and more luxuriant drapery' (O. Millar, op. cit., p. 74).
Lely's drawings occupy a key role in his artistic process, and he was a prolific draughtsman, although relatively few examples are still extant. He would first sketch the posture in chalk, in part for discussion with the patron, before making further sketches of the drapery to aid his studio assistants who would help with parts of the painting. He often re-used poses or ideas, and kept many of these drawings, including the present sheet, in his studio until his death. The focus of his draughtsmanship was very much pose and drapery, and he did not make preparatory drawings from life of the heads of his sitters, preferring to paint them directly onto the canvas.
While Matthew Bloxam identified the sitter here as Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, Sir Oliver Millar described it as: 'a study for a portrait of circa 1665; and a good example of the type of drawing by which a design could be submitted to a patron. In the general disposition of costume, arms and hands, the drawing is preparatory to a three-quarter-length design used for Lady Elizabeth Carey, the Countess of Sutherland, and Miss Brown (a studio piece). In all three the dress has been enriched with pearls and more luxuriant drapery' (O. Millar, op. cit., p. 74).