Portrait of P. Lenéve, Alderman of Norwich  1658

Lely trained in the Dutch Republic but immigrated to England in the mid-1640s. His portrait style combining elegance with a vigorous sense for textures was influenced by that of Sir Anthony van Dyck. Lely was politically flexible: after working for Charles I (overthrown and executed in 1647) and then for the rising middle class (such as Alderman Lenéve), Lely worked again ...