Matthew Prior (1664-1721) poet, politician and diplomat

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

Godfrey Kneller was born in Lübeck, Germany. He moved to Amsterdam in 1662 to study painting under Rembrandt and Ferdinand Bol. He later trained with Gianlorenzo Bernini and Carlo Maratta in Rome. He returned to Lübeck in 1675, before moving to Hamburg and then to London to study the works of van Dyck. In England he received commissions from prominent figures, including Charles II. Charles sent Kneller to France in 1684, to paint the portrait of Louis XIV. Kneller maintained his position at court after the accession of James II in 1685 and, when William and Mary came to the throne, he and portraitist John Riley became joint Principal Painters to the Crown. Following Riley’s death, Kneller alone retained the position. He was 77 when he died.
John Faber I was born at The Hague and worked as a portrait miniaturist in the Netherlands until at least 1696. By 1698 he had settled in London. He began to experiment with mezzotint engraving and, by 1707, established a printselling business in the Strand. Faber produced a wide range of engraved portraits, including those of clergy and Jacobites, and four portraits of Charles I. He also made series of portraits such as ‘Twelve Ancient Philosophers’, after Rubens. From 1711 to 1712 he collaborated with engraver George Vertue on a project to engrave portraits in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and he later made a series of founders of Oxford and Cambridge colleges. His son was engraver John Faber (c.1695-1756). He died in Bristol, aged c.61.

People

Matthew Prior (1664 - 1721)

Places

Subjects

poet, male portrait, Fellow of the Royal Society, 18th century costume, coat, diplomat

Materials & Techniques

mezzotint

Artist

Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646 - 1723)
John, I Faber (c.1660 - 1721)

Title

Matthew Prior (1664-1721) poet, politician and diplomat

Date

1728

Medium

Mezzotint

Acquisition

Purchased from F B Daniell, June 1955

GAC number

3213