Old Masters, British & European Paintings - 4th September 2019
Lot 151
Sir Godfrey Kneller Bt. (1646-1723) Portrait of Thomas Edwards (d.1681)
Estimate £3,000 - £5,000 | Hammer £3500
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Description
Sir Godfrey Kneller Bt. (1646-1723)
Portrait of Thomas Edwards (d.1681), personal servant to Samuel Pepys
Oil on canvas, oval, in a carved wood frame
76 x 63cm; 30 x 25in
Thomas Edwards was recruited from the Chapel Royal where he had been a chorister. It is reported that the Chapel Royal was assembled in 1660 by 'Captain' Henry Cooke, the 'Master of the Children of the Chapel'. It is thought Thomas Edwards left the choir in mid 1664 when his voice changed. According to the label on the back of the painting, Mrs Pepys shared her husband's love of music and engaged her maid because she was proficient on the harp and this maid then married Edwards.