Oil Portrait of King Charles II Wearing the Royal Garter After Sir Peter Lily





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Description



English School, 19th Century
Portrait of King Charles II in Armour, c.1850

Oil on Canvas After Sir Peter Lely | Royal Portrait with the Order of the Garter

Highlights

• English School oil portrait dating from approximately 1850.
• Depicts King Charles II wearing armour and a white cravat.
• Includes the pendant badge of St George associated with the Order of the Garter.
• Executed after an established portrait type by Sir Peter Lely.
• Reflects the Victorian revival of interest in British royal history.
• Formerly in the collection of Christopher and Susan “Sally” Kevill-Davies.
• Retains the Kevill-Davies collection label and inventory number 139 verso.
• Offered by Woolley & Wallis in its Old Masters, British & European Paintings sale in March 2026.
• Privately loaned for display to the Shropshire dealership Famous Lord Hill Museum.
• Presented in its original frame, recently overpainted in gold.
• An atmospheric royal portrait ready for immediate display.

Introduction

A handsome mid-nineteenth-century English School oil portrait depicting King Charles II in armour, executed circa 1850 after an established portrait type associated with Sir Peter Lely.

Presented at quarter length, Charles II wears a dark breastplate, full-bottomed periwig and luminous white cravat. Suspended across the armour is an insignia appearing to represent the badge of St George of the Order of the Garter, Britain’s senior order of chivalry.

The portrait is painted in a restrained palette of deep brown and black, enlivened by warm flesh tones, the pale cravat and carefully placed highlights across the armour. Its intimate scale and subdued atmosphere give the work considerable decorative presence.

Formerly part of the collection of Christopher and Susan “Sally” Kevill-Davies, the painting retains their collection label and inventory number 139 on the reverse. It was subsequently offered by Woolley & Wallis, Salisbury, in March 2026.

Catalogue Details

Artist: English School

Title: Portrait of King Charles II in Armour

Date: Circa 1850

Period: Mid-19th century

Medium: Oil on canvas

Attribution: After Sir Peter Lely

Signature: Unsigned

Sitter: King Charles II (1630–1685)

Insignia: Pendant badge associated with the Order of the Garter

Frame: Original frame, subsequently overpainted in gold

Verso: Kevill-Davies collection label and handwritten inventory number 139

Catalogue Note

Charles II is shown in a quarter-length pose, turned slightly while directing his gaze beyond the viewer.

His full periwig frames the face and falls across the shoulders, while the white cravat provides a luminous visual contrast against the darker armour. The suspended jewel appears to represent St George and the Dragon, the badge associated with the Order of the Garter.

The artist uses a deliberately subdued range of deep browns, blacks and warm earth colours. Softly modelled flesh tones bring the face forward, while restrained highlights articulate the curved metal surface of the breastplate.

The handling is consistent with a later interpretation of a seventeenth-century court portrait. Greater attention has been devoted to the sitter’s face and principal identifying features, while the surrounding passages are treated more broadly and economically.

The work reflects an established portrait type associated with Sir Peter Lely and dating from around 1675. Variants and later copies of this type show Charles II wearing a breastplate, white lace cravat and the badge of the Order of the Garter.

Historical Context

The restoration of Charles II to the throne in 1660 initiated a renewed culture of royal display and artistic patronage following the austerity and political upheaval of the Commonwealth period.

Court portraiture played an important role in re-establishing the public image of monarchy. Charles was represented through carefully controlled combinations of armour, robes, insignia and elegant court dress, communicating royal authority, military command and dynastic continuity.

During the nineteenth century, British collectors developed a renewed interest in the monarchy, aristocratic history and the visual culture of the Stuart period. Earlier royal portraits were copied and adapted for country houses, historic interiors and private collections.

The present painting belongs to this Victorian historical revival. Although created approximately 170 years after Charles II’s reign, it preserves the visual conventions established by Restoration court portraiture and reflects the continuing cultural authority of Lely’s royal imagery.

The Sitter

Charles II was born at St James’s Palace in 1630, the eldest surviving son of King Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France.

His early life was dominated by the English Civil Wars and the eventual defeat of the Royalist cause. Following the execution of Charles I in 1649, the younger Charles lived largely in exile.

He was crowned King of Scotland at Scone in 1651 and later attempted to recover the English throne. After defeat at the Battle of Worcester, he escaped capture and returned to continental Europe.

The collapse of the English Commonwealth eventually led to the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Charles returned to London and was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1661.

His reign encompassed major events including the Great Plague of 1665, the Great Fire of London in 1666 and continuing political and religious tensions. It also witnessed a revival of theatre, science, court culture and royal patronage.

As sovereign of the Order of the Garter, Charles was frequently portrayed wearing its robes, riband, chain or pendant badge. These symbols linked the restored monarchy with England’s medieval chivalric traditions.

Charles died in 1685 without a legitimate heir and was succeeded by his brother James II. His acknowledged descendants nevertheless established several prominent branches within the British aristocracy.

Sir Peter Lely

Sir Peter Lely was born Pieter van der Faes in Soest, Westphalia, in 1618 and trained as a painter in Haarlem before settling in England during the 1640s.

Following the Restoration, he became Principal Painter to Charles II and emerged as the dominant portraitist of the royal court.

Lely developed an elegant and immediately recognisable style characterised by graceful poses, luxurious fabrics, refined flesh tones and an atmosphere of aristocratic confidence. His portraits established enduring visual identities for Charles II, members of the royal family and leading figures of the Restoration court.

He maintained a substantial studio in which assistants helped produce repetitions and variants of successful compositions. His royal portrait types consequently circulated widely during his lifetime and continued to be copied long after his death.

The present painting was executed during the nineteenth century and is not represented as a work by Lely or his studio. It is catalogued as English School, circa 1850, after one of his established representations of Charles II.

Provenance

Private Collection of Christopher and Susan “Sally” Kevill-Davies, United Kingdom.

Retaining the Kevill-Davies collection label verso with handwritten inventory number 139.

Subsequently in the United Kingdom art trade.

Offered by Woolley & Wallis, Salisbury, in the Old Masters, British & European Paintings sale held on 3 March 2026, catalogued as English School, Portrait of King Charles II.

Subsequently curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD.

Privately loaned for display to the Shropshire-based dealership trading as Famous Lord Hill Museum.

The surviving collection label and inventory number indicate that the painting formed part of an organised private collection.

Dimensions

Canvas:

62 cm high × 52 cm wide

Framed:

71.5 cm high × 61 cm wide × 2 cm deep

Portrait orientation.

Condition Report

Presented in stable and displayable antique condition.

The canvas remains supported upon its stretcher and appears structurally sound. The painted surface displays age-related wear, including areas of thinning, scattered minor losses and evidence of historic retouching, particularly within the darker passages.

Fine craquelure is visible throughout. The varnish appears slightly dulled and uneven, and professional surface cleaning may improve the clarity and tonal balance of the image. No cleaning has been undertaken by us.

The sitter’s face, cravat and principal identifying features remain comparatively well preserved and visually effective.

The original frame has recently been overpainted in gold to provide a more uniform presentation. Underlying wear, small losses and surface irregularities remain visible beneath the later finish. The frame is nevertheless structurally stable and suitable for display.

Please study all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description. Additional photographs and further information are available upon request.



Reserve: $9,180.00

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