Charles II, 1630 - 1685. King of Scots 1649 - 1685, King of England and Ireland 1660 - 1685
About this artwork
Charles II was a hugely popular monarch and portraits of him were widely collected and displayed. This mezzotint was made by Edward Luttrell, one of the first artists in Britain to use this new form of printmaking, and published by Edward Cooper, who specialised in selling them. Luttrell’s image of the king is after a portrait painted by Lely from about 1671. It shows Charles wearing a fashionable wig and cravat, but dressed in a stylised antique costume, making him appear as both a seventeenth-century monarch and a Roman general or emperor. Although we recognise the king’s features and the rather sardonic look on his face, the portrait also hints at a more serious side to the so-called ‘Merry Monarch’.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Edward Luttrell (about 1650 - about 1724) English
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title:Charles II, 1630 - 1685. King of Scots 1649 - 1685, King of England and Ireland 1660 - 1685
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date created:After 1671
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after:Sir Peter Lely (1618 - 1680) English
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materials:Mezzotint on paper
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measurements:20.65 x 16.84 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1947
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accession number:SP II 21.44
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gallery:
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subject:
Edward Luttrell
Edward Luttrell
A somewhat unknown artist, Luttrell was a practitioner of early mezzotints. Although nothing is known of his birth and parentage, he began studying law in about 1670 at New Inn, London. However, he soon gave this up to pursue a career as an artist and became a pupil of the crayon and pastel...