Lady Mary Berkeley

Kneller painted Lady Mary Berkeley around 1700, during the reign of William III when he dominated English portraiture without serious rival. Lady Berkeley was likely part of his series of aristocratic beauties that documented the social elite of late Stuart England. Kneller's portraits of women often employ allegorical settings and classical drapery that elevate the sitter beyond mere likeness into the realm of idealized beauty.

Kneller's female portrait employs his characteristic loose, flowing treatment of drapery combined with more careful modeling of the face. The warm palette and fluid paint handling in the fabrics contrast with the smoother flesh painting, creating a dynamic textural interplay.