Henry Purcell

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Henry Purcell

by Unknown artist
oil on canvas, after 1695
23 in. x 21 in. (584 mm x 533 mm) oval
Bequeathed by William Barclay Squire, 1927
Primary Collection
NPG 2150

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Artistback to top

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

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Derived from the drawing of Purcell attributed to Closterman (NPG 4994) this rather romanticised portrait of the composer may date from the eighteenth century.

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Events of 1695back to top

Current affairs

Princess Anne, daughter of James II by Anne Hyde, and now heir apparent to the English throne, returns to court having retired two years previously over William III's dismissal of John Churchill and his wife, Sarah, Anne's closest companion.

Art and science

William Congreve's comical farce, Love for Love, exemplifying the height of Restoration comedy, reopens Lincoln's Inn Theatre with a new actors' company led by actor Thomas Betterton. Its witty, sparking dialogue made it hugely popular with audiences.

International

William III and Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria, commanding the army of the grand alliance, recapture Namur in the Spanish Netherlands from the French. Despite a period of victories, the Netherlands and England begin to struggle financially under the economic strain of the ongoing Nine Years' War.

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