Sir Peter Lely and His Portraits of Unknowable Women

Like Lely’s Theodosia, each woman wears a golden dress with heavy white sleeves and a blue drape on her shoulder. Curls frame their faces, pearls grace their necks, and each subject is positioned before a pastoral backdrop.

While their props, stances, and faces may vary, each subject is practically indistinguishable due to the repeated costumes and iconography. Essentially, Lely produces a sisterhood of women who are so similar that they are unknowable and anonymous.

As a result, it is unsurprising that the identities of these women have been repeatedly disputed for centuries, and only five of the sitters have been confidently named.

Lely’s Artistry in the Portland Collection

Interestingly, where Lely’s portraits of Theodosia and her ‘sisters’ fall short, his representations of other female subjects succeed.

For example, our collection boasts 12 paintings associated with Lely, including a portrait of Margaret Lucas, 1st Duchess of Newcastle.

The piece epitomises his artistic proficiency as Lely immortalises Margaret’s distinct character through her costume. More specifically, Lely paints the Duchess in a headdress of dyed ostrich feathers:

Portrait of Margaret Lucas, Duchess of Newcastle (1624-1674) by Sir Peter Lely, 1665. ©Harley Foundation, The Portland Collection.

An item of dual significance, the hat emphasises Margaret’s eccentric approach to dress and recalls the caps worn by male philosophers of her time. As the historic costumer Hannah Marples observes, the garment “speaks to her role as a philosopher, a great writer, and researcher”.

By detailing the Duchess in the item, Lely offers insights into Margaret’s unique identity and showcases his skill in capturing a subject’s likeness.

Questioning the Creator

You may wonder why a portraitist who showcases such talent in depicting the Duchess resorted to repetitive and worn-out practices when painting Theodosia and her lookalikes. In short, in the 17th century, the demand for portraits increased, and Lely did not have the time to immortalise every sitter.

Portrait of Sir Peter Lely by Sir Peter Lely, c.1660. ©National Portrait Gallery.

His priorities shifted to turning out pieces as quickly as possible. To do so, Lely employed studio assistants to help complete his pieces and had less notable sitters choose from a narrow selection of poses and costumes that were easier to paint. This is why the seven ‘sisters’ we have examined are so similar and, thus, unremarkable.

Focusing on efficiency instead of authenticity, Lely thrived in the commercially rewarding practice of portraitism. Conveniently, by reusing visual motifs, Lely also made his works easy to recognise.

As a result, the artist’s name and story continue to outlive him, while the unique personalities of his sitters are lost to history.