Sir William Godolphin

Gerard Soest (attributed to) 1600 - 1681

Summary

This is a portrait of Sir William Godolphin (1635-1696), a Member of Parliament and Charles II's ambassador to Spain (1671-1678). He is dressed in a long brown wig and a black coat, and depicted against a neutral background within a painted oval frame. Some of the money that Godolphin left in his will was eventually used to found the Godolphin Boys' School in Hammersmith, West London, in 1852. The Dutch-born painter Peter Lely was the most important British portraitist from 1650 until his death, and a renowned successor to Van Dyck. In 1660 he was appointed court portrait painter to Charles II. His output was extensive and he employed many studio assistants, only painting the heads from life.