King Charles II
1 portrait by Robert Sheppard
© National Portrait Gallery, London
King Charles II
by Robert Sheppard, after Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt
line engraving, published 1733
14 7/8 in. x 8 3/4 in. (378 mm x 223 mm) paper size
Reference Collection
NPG D32289
Sitterback to top
- King Charles II (1630-1685), Reigned 1660-85. Sitter associated with 295 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- Robert Sheppard (active 1730-1740). Artist or producer associated with 27 portraits.
- Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt (1646-1723), Portrait painter. Artist or producer associated with 1689 portraits, Sitter associated with 30 portraits.
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1733back to top
Current affairs
Prime Minister Robert Walpole narrowly escapes defeat in the House of Lords over the investigation into the South Sea affair. His Excise scheme, introduced the previous year, also provokes widespread resistance among merchants and is withdrawn.Sugar and Molasses Act is passed by Parliament to tax British colonists in North America.
Art and science
John Kay, working in the Lancashire woollen industry, patents the flying shuttle to speed up weaving.Poet Alexander Pope publishes his philosophical Essay on Man, which proposes a system of ethics in poetic form.
Clergyman Stephen Hales publishes the second volume of his Statical Essays, Haemastaticks, describing the measurement of the 'force of the blood', later known as blood pressure.
International
Philip V of Spain and Louis XV of France sign the Treaty of Escurial and form an alliance against Britain.Voltaire publishes Letters on the English Nation comparing France unfavourably with England.
British colonist James Oglethorpe founds Savannah, Georgia.
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.
Related pages
- Painted Ladies: Women at the Court of Charles II
- Alexander Browne and Richard Tompson
- Restoration Lives: Samuel Pepys and His Circle
- The First Actresses: Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons
- Kings and Queens: A Family tree
- Escape to Eden
- Handlist of names in the Reference Collection
- Party Trail
- Everyday icons: collecting popular portraits
- NPG D2930 in 360°
- LGBTQ+ History Month
- Adopt-a-Portrait
- Icons and Identities: Shakespeare to Winehouse