Sir Godfrey Kneller
Kneller was the greatest master of the English baroque portrait. As Court painter to four sovereigns, he dominated English art for more than thirty years.
Born in Lübeck, Germany, on the 8th of August 1646 [Gottfried Kneller the son of Zacharias Kniller] trained as a painter in Amsterdam under Rembrandt’s pupil, Bol. He visited Rome and Venice probably painting portraits of Venetian nobility before coming to England in about 1676. He was appointed Principal Painter to the Court of William and Mary in 1688. He was knighted in 1692 and made a Baronet in 1715, the first painter to be so honoured.
Kneller acquired a property in Whitton then known as Whitton Hall which he adapted or rebuilt between 1709 and 1711. It has since come to be called Kneller Hall.
Kneller Hall was large with a studio where he and a number of assistants worked. His commissions were many and his output prolific. As a member of the Kit-
Kneller was acquainted with Alexander Pope who once in jest complimented him on the superiority of his works to those of Nature, and regretted his absence at the Creation. Kneller who was rather vain replied “I should have made some things better”.
Critical of Pope’s drawing master Charles Jervas, who had achieved some success and consequently set himself up with a coach-
When Sir Godfrey died he left about 800 pictures in Kneller Hall which were sold by his widow. She continued to live at Kneller Hall until 1729.
His widow wanted to displace the memorial to Alexander Pope's parents, on the north east wall of the gallery of the church, with a large memorial to Sir Godfrey designed by Rysbrack. Naturally Pope disputed this and was successful. Eventually, the memorial found a home in Westminster Abbey where, Kneller had said he did not wish to be buried "because they do bury fools there". He died on 26 October 1723 in the parish of St Giles in the Fields, London as noted in the registers for that church, which also state that he was "carried away". He was actually buried in a vault in St Mary's, Twickenham which he had reserved for this purpose when the church was rebuilt.
A word or two about the painters
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