Images(2)

Portrait of King William III (1650-1702)

Dateca. 1697

Studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller

OriginEngland, London

MediumOil on canvas; Frame: white pine, gesso, silver leaf, varnishes

DimensionsFramed: 105 3/8 × 69 3/4 × 3 in.
Unframed: 94 x 58 in.

Credit LinePartial Gift of Elton M. Hyder and Museum Purchase

Object number2019-119,A&C

DescriptionA full-length portrait showing William III in robes of state and a mantle lined with ermine fur. He stands in front of a classical column, turns his head slightly to the viewer's left, and places his proper right hand on his hip. On his proper left, the royal regalia rest on a table draped with a red cloth. A twilight sky fills the upper background of the composition.Label TextAs a prominent Dutch political leader, William of Orange invaded England in 1688, successfully dethroning his Catholic uncle and father-in-law, King James II, and restoring Protestantism to the British Crown. Together with his wife, Mary, he established the first joint English monarchy. During their reign, the couple granted a charter for the College of William and Mary in 1693, and William became the namesake of the city of Williamsburg upon its establishment in 1699.

William III’s likeness portrays him in his royal regalia and is one of many copies that functioned as the official image of the King for private and public spaces both in England and abroad. He was painted by the studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller, principal painter to William and Mary. The frame is a hand-carved, silvered reproduction based on period profiles.ProvenanceDates unknown, Private Collection (London); 1986 (Antony Mould Ltd., London); 1986, The Hyder Collection of Art & Law (Fort Worth, TX); 2019-present, partial gift of Elton M. Hyder and purchase to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.