Gottfried Kniller – the great German master of portraiture, who survived three monarchs as a court painter of the British Empire

Gottfried Kniller – the famous German artist of the late XVII – early XVIII centuries, the leading portrait painter of the British Empire of his era. He was an extremely popular painter among the English nobility, during his career he created hundreds of paintings depicting influential European nobles and royalty. The unique masterpieces of the painter’s work are kept in many museums in Europe, and his biography is an example of a successful career as a great master.

Gottfried Kniller served as court painter for more than 40 years during the reign of three British monarchs (Charles II, Wilhelm III and George I), he painted portraits of many European rulers, including the Russian Emperor Peter I and the French King Louis XIV. And in recognition of outstanding services to British art, the brilliant artist was granted the honorary title of knight of the empire and the title of baronet.

Biography

His father Zacharias was a very popular portrait painter, and his mother was the daughter of a municipal musician. Four sons were born in the Kniller family, and three of them later became prominent figures in European art. Gottfried’s older brother Johann chose a career as a painter, and the younger Andreas became famous for writing chamber organ music

Kniller Sr. early discovered in the two eldest sons the ability to paint and taught them the basics of drawing. But Gottfried at the age of 17 he went to Holland to continue his studies. After a short stay in Leiden, the young man moved to Amsterdam. There he got a job as an apprentice in the studio of the great Rembrandt. And later he went to work for his student Ferdinand Bol.

In the early 1670s, Gottfried returned to Lübeck, after which he persuaded his father to let him go with Johann to Italy. Having received permission from their parents, the brothers went first to Venice and then to Rome, where they worked for several years in the workshop of Carlo Maratta. Returning from Italy, they settled in Hamburg.

In 1676 the Knillers went to London.

Unlike his older brother, he was a real leader and, to a certain extent, an adventurer, ready for decisive actions. In the British capital, they immediately managed to get acquainted with the influential nobleman the Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of King Charles II, who a few months later introduced the artists to his father.

Gottfried Kniller jumped at the opportunity and painted a portrait of the current British monarch. The king liked the picture, and he ordered to pay the author a substantial monetary reward. With the proceeds, Gottfried opened his own workshop in London. And his career quickly began to gain momentum. And Johann became the first assistant to his younger brother and remained in his shadow until the end of his life.

After the death of Peter Lely in 1680, Gottfried assumed the prestigious position of royal painter. The number of portrait commissions from the British nobility increased many times over. Kniller worked very quickly, and the master himself usually painted only the head of the hero, and his assistants, led by his brother, completed the rest. For several decades, the German artist reigned supreme in the field of portraiture in England.

The personal life of the artist was not very successful.

Until 1702 he lived in London with his brother and did not tie the knot. But after the death of Johann, Gottfried finally married the widow Susanne Grave. The couple had no children, but from a love affair with Mrs. Voss, Kniller had an illegitimate daughter, Agnes, who, after her father’s death, received part of his inheritance.

The great master of portrait painting survived three kings on the British throne, accumulated a solid fortune by the end of his life and enjoyed great prestige in high society. At the height of his fame, on October 19, 1723, Gottfried Kniller died of a fever at his London mansion at the age of 77. The remains of the painter were buried in Twickenham Church, and an epitaph was dedicated to him in Westminster Abbey. In addition to Kniller, no painter has ever been awarded such a great honor.