The Later Stuarts spans one of the most eventful periods in British history, from the accession of James II in 1685 to the death of Queen Anne in 1714, the final years of the house of Stuart on the English and Scottish thrones. It is a period in which Britain was newly established as a major European power, and the catalogue encompasses outstanding military, naval, ecclesiastical and intellectual figures, including the Duke of Marlborough, Admirals Benbow and Shovell, Archbishop Sancroft (who led the Seven Bishops against James II), John Locke, Isaac Newton, John Vanbrugh and Christopher Wren. Also featured in this title are the fearsome Judge Jeffreys, the composer Henry Purcell and diarists Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn. The writers include John Dryden, Mathew Prior, Joseph Addison and Richard Steele and the painters Godfrey Kneller and Michael Dahl (whose self-portrait is handsomely presented on the cover). This highly-illustrated volume completely revises and updates the second half of David Piper's "Catalogue of the Seventeenth Century Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery", published in 1963. Since that time, many portraits have been added to the collection.
In addition, more recent academic research has resulted in a number of changes of identity and attribution. It has also facilitated more comprehensive surveys of each sitter's portraiture beyond the National Portrait Gallery. In presenting this research, the author John Ingamells offers new discoveries, insights and observations to create an invaluable historical resource. The publication of this book has been sponsored by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, London. This updated publication is a substantial contribution to our knowledge of the art and personalities of this period. Over 600 illustrations are beautifully presented alongside catalogue entries, biographies and iconographies of sitters. This is a comprehensive and fascinating text by distinguished art historian and curator John Ingamells. This is a major enterprise and a valuable sourcebook for historians, academics and students across many fields.