King Charles II

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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King Charles II

by Unknown artist
oil on canvas, circa 1665
27 1/2 in. x 22 1/4 in. (699 mm x 565 mm)
Purchased, 1902
Primary Collection
NPG 1313

Sitterback to top

  • King Charles II (1630-1685), Reigned 1660-85. Sitter associated with 295 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • Unknown artist, Artist. Artist or producer associated with 6577 portraits.

Linked publicationsback to top

  • Piper, David, Catalogue of Seventeenth Century Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery, 1625-1714, 1963, p. 66
  • Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 117

Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1665back to top

Current affairs

Great Plague initially breaks out in the deprived parish of St. Giles-in-the-Fields killing thousands. Humphrey Henchman, Bishop of London, takes a leading role in organising collections of money for the poor.
Five Mile Act forbids ejected clergymen from living within five miles of a parish they formerly served.

Art and science

A New Discourse of Trade, written by Sir Josiah Child, outspokenly advocates for the advantages of free trade.
The first issue of the Royal Society's scientific journal, Philosophical Transactions, is edited by Henry Oldenburg, the Society's Secretary.

International

Second Anglo-Dutch War. Despite England's resounding victory at the first naval encounter, the Battle of Lowestoft, failure to seize the valuable Dutch East Indies fleet by Admiral Edward Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, and subsequent Dutch victory at the battle at Vågen, were considerable setbacks for the English.

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