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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 in Garter Robes - (MeisterDrucke-160375).jpg "Portrait of James II (1633-1701) in Garter Robes by Peter Lely")
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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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.jpg "Susanna and the Elders by Peter Lely")
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 Duchess of Cleveland c1680 - (MeisterDrucke-152381).jpg "Portrait of Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland by Peter Lely")
 Duchess of Cleveland c1680 - (MeisterDrucke-152381).jpg)
 Churchill child - (MeisterDrucke-279939).jpg "Portrait of Winston and Arabella Churchill, children of Sir Winston Churchill by Peter Lely")
 Churchill child - (MeisterDrucke-279939).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1110856).jpg "John, 5th Earl of Exeter 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 "Portrait of a Lady 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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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1659334).jpg "Moses Saved from the River by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1659327).jpg "Lovers in a Landscape 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 a Lady in Blue Holding a Flower by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Charles II by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1426438).jpg "Idyll by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "A Boy as a Shepherd by Peter Lely")
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_First_Viscount_Townsend_(oil_on_canvas)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1483893).jpg "Horatio First Viscount Townsend by Peter Lely")
_First_Viscount_Townsend_(oil_on_canvas)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1483893).jpg)
.jpg "James Harrington, English political theorist by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon by Peter Lely")
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_(c_1630-1719_-_(MeisterDrucke-1028873).jpg "Portrait of Margaret Hughes by Peter Lely")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-206788).jpg "Portrait of Oliver Cromwell by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1377071).jpg "Portrait of Mr. Bridgeman of Devonshire by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1377071).jpg)
.jpg "Oliver Cromwell by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Man, Thought to be George Booth, Lord Delamere by Peter Lely")
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_Portrait_of_Queen_Hen_-_(MeisterDrucke-1318431).jpg "Portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria of France 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 the Duke of Richmond, in the original Sunderland frame by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Lady, Seated Full Length, in a Wooded Landscape, Wearing a Violet Silk Dress with White Sleeves and Trimmings by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Sir Ralph Bankes 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)
 - (MeisterDrucke-268684).jpg "Catherine of Braganza (1638-1705) by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "King Charles II in Garter Robes by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Lady by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount of Dundee, from")
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.jpg "John Ogilby, Frontispiece to")
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.jpg "Edward Montagu, Engraved by H.T. Ryall, from")
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.jpg "Elizabeth Clifford, Countess of Cork, and Later Countess of Burlington by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Charles I in Armour, c.1670 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Lady in Blue by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Sir Thomas Webster by Peter Lely")
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_c1638-80_(oil_on_canvas)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1376640).jpg "Portrait of Richard Symonds by Peter Lely")
_c1638-80_(oil_on_canvas)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1376640).jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of King James II, Full Length, in Garter Robes by Peter Lely")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-148191).jpg "King Charles II (1630-85) by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Self Portrait 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")
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.jpg "Portrait of Prince Rupert by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Gentleman in a Brown Robe by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Gentleman by Peter Lely")
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 Duchess of La Valliere with her Children as Angels - (MeisterDrucke-94287).jpg "Francoise Louise Duchess of La Valliere with her Children as Angels by Peter Lely")
 Duchess of La Valliere with her Children as Angels - (MeisterDrucke-94287).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1457495).jpg "James II as Duke of York by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Mary II Stuart by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Louise de Keroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "George Monck, Duke of Albemarle by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643708).jpg "Portrait of a Boy, Probably Francis, Viscount Beauchamp by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643708).jpg)
_(oil_on_canvas)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1630036).jpg "James Butler, Duke of Ormonde by Peter Lely")
_(oil_on_canvas)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1630036).jpg)
_oil_on_canvas_54x635_cm_-_(MeisterDrucke-1110202).jpg "Moses saved from river 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")
 2nd Earl of Rochester - (MeisterDrucke-293011).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643715).jpg "Portrait of Catherine, Lady Alington by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "The Letter, 1650-60 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Catherine of Braganza, Queen of Charles II by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1645711).jpg "Portrait of Arthur Capel, Earl of Essex by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1645711).jpg)
.jpg "Prince Rupert, Count Palatinate by Peter Lely")
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_English_military_and_statesman_-_Paintin_-_(MeisterDrucke-947571).jpg "Portrait of Oliver Cromwell by Peter Lely")
_English_military_and_statesman_-_Paintin_-_(MeisterDrucke-947571).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1377070).jpg "Portrait of Mrs. Bridgeman of Devonshire by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1377070).jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of a Gentleman by Peter Lely")
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_and_child_as_Ve_-_(MeisterDrucke-1575360).jpg "Portrait of a Young Woman and Child, as Venus and Cupid by Peter Lely")
_and_child_as_Ve_-_(MeisterDrucke-1575360).jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Strickland, née Pile by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Susanna and the Elders by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "A man playing a violin, possibly a portrait of the artist by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Elizabeth, Lady Leicester by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "James Ussher (engraved by George Vertue, 1738) by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1376388).jpg "Portrait of the Hon. Andrew Newport by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1376388).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1501463).jpg "Flagmen of Lowestoft: Admiral Sir George Ayscue by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1501463).jpg)
.jpg "Two Poor Knights of Windsor by Peter Lely")
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_c1670_(oil_on_canvas)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1501157).jpg "Charles II, c.1670 by Peter Lely")
_c1670_(oil_on_canvas)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1501157).jpg)
_in_the_robes_of_the_Order_-_(MeisterDrucke-941413).jpg "Portrait of Charles II of England in the Robes of the Order of the Garter by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643716).jpg "Portrait of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, the Philosopher by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643716).jpg)
_c1669-80_(oil_on_ca_-_(MeisterDrucke-1376650).jpg "Portrait of Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart by Peter Lely")
_c1669-80_(oil_on_ca_-_(MeisterDrucke-1376650).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-935790).jpg "Portrait of Dr John Fell, c.1665-70 by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-935790).jpg)
.jpg "James II by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Mary of Modena, Queen Consort of King James II by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of Oliver Cromwell by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-930972).jpg "Portrait of Sir John Lawson, c.1665 by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-930972).jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of Nathaniel, 3rd Baron Crew of Stene by Peter Lely")
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_King_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland_from_1660_engraved_by_Geo_-_(MeisterDrucke-322558).jpg "Charles II (1630-85) King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1660, engraved by George Vertue, 1736 by Peter Lely")
_King_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland_from_1660_engraved_by_Geo_-_(MeisterDrucke-322558).jpg)
_published_in_Amsterdam_-_(MeisterDrucke-103131).jpg "Thomas Sydenham, engraved by Jacobus Houbraken by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Lady with a Blue Drape by Peter Lely")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1510207).jpg "Flagmen of Lowestoft: Vice-Admiral Sir William Berkeley by Peter Lely")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1510207).jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of Barbara Palmer, née Villiers, Lady Castlemaine and Duchess of Cleveland by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Prince Rupert 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 "Flagmen of Lowestoft: Edward Montagu by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester 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")
_1st_Earl_of_Sunderland_1643_-_(MeisterDrucke-190445).jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of Mrs. Leneve by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, c. 1661-1665 by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Sir Henry de Vic, Chancellor of the Order of the Garter by Peter Lely")
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.jpg "Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland as St. Catherine of Alexandria, c.1665-70 by Peter Lely")
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 Earl of Essex engraved by Edward Luttrell (c1650-1724) and John Smith (c1652-1742) (mezzotint) - (MeisterDrucke-131331).jpg "Arthur Capel, Earl of Essex, Engraved by Edward Luttrell and John Smith by Peter Lely")
 Earl of Essex engraved by Edward Luttrell (c1650-1724) and John Smith (c1652-1742) (mezzotint) - (MeisterDrucke-131331).jpg)
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