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Description: | Pieter van der Faes, called Lely (1618-1680) trained with Frans Pietersz. de Grebber at Haarlem before moving to London in 1641/3. In 1647 he became a 'freeman' of the Painter-Stainers' company on the same day as his friend the poet Richard Lovelace. The leading court portrait painter of his generation, Lely was appointed Principal Painter to the King in 1661, he was naturalised the following year and knighted the year of his death. An important collector of paintings, drawings and prints his collections were dispersed after 1680. This portrait, a studio production by an artist in the circle of Pieter Lely, shows Abigail Jordan (1651-1704), the daughter and coheir of the wealthy merchant Thomas Jordan of Stratford-at-Bow and The Mere in Staffordshire who also owned establishments at Fenchurch Street and at Nelmes in Hornchurch, Essex. In 1672 Abigail Jordan was married to Godfrey Webster (about 1648-1720). Her husband was a prominent member of the Clothworkers' Company, which he entered in 1670 being elected its master in 1695; among his various lucrative assets, he held a contract to supply the army with clothing, and by 1710 he held sufficient stock in the Bank of England to qualify as a governor, he was knighted in 1708. Abigail was the mother of Thomas Webster (1676-1751), who was to secure a baronetcy and establish the family at Battle Abbey. | Subjects: | portrait (Abigail Jordan) | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Artist: Lely, Peter (Dutch painter and draftsman, 1618-1680, active in England) Æ Attributed to circle of | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=8735... | Go to resource |
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