Sir Peter Lely (Soest, Westphalia 1618-1680 London) Norbert Schneider, ' The Portrait' (2002)
Kirby Talley, ' Extracts from the Executors Account-Book of Sir Peter Lely, 1679-1691: An Account of the Contents of Sir Peter's Studio' (The Burlington Magazine Vol. In the case of such an important patron as James, Lely quite possibly did all the work himself but I've found no evidence that he explained the portrait (and I doubt there is any to be found as we can't even date this painting). Lely often only did the initial sketch and painted the face, leaving other details to his 'team' (which partly accounts for the sometimes variable quality of his work). Lely produced hundreds of paintings in his lifetime, many of which were actually completed by artists he employed in his workshop. Ultimately, though, we are unlikely to ever know for certain what Lely or his subject intended. Also, Lely was popular with James and his first wife, Anne Hyde they commissioned many pictures from the artist, but only from the early 1660s onwards. We can narrow this down a bit to 1661 - 75 as (for practical reasons) it is highly unlikely that the portrait was done until after the restoration, and Lely was appointed the Principal Painter in Ordinary by Charles II in 1661. Unfortunately, the date of Lely’s painting is uncertain the Art UK website, a cultural education charity which “represents a collaboration between over 3,200 British institutions”, gives a date range of 1650–1675. This interpretation would seem more likely if the portrait was done around the time James converted to Catholicism (1668 or 1669). Thus, if the gestures of the hands are directly related, the gesture of the right hand (sincerity) may be emphasizing or reinforcing that of the left. That the person is not yet on the path and is being 'searched for', as Higher spirit reaching down for the soul. Pointing down is commonly interpreted as representing the subject’s
We should also consider the possibility that the gesture of the left hand (with the finger pointing down) may be directly related. Lely himself used the gesture in a number of paintings (see, for example, Portrait of a gentleman in black and one of the Windsor Beauties, Elizabeth Hamilton).Īmong the theories proposed, a couple are plausible explanations for the gesture of the right hand as used in the painting of James, Duke of York, (later James II of England / James VII of Scotland): an indication of sincerità (sincerity, honesty or frankness) or a vow or an oath, most likely to God or possibly to his brother and his king, Charles II. Among later artists who used this gesture was Anthony van Dyke, who influenced Peter Lely (he also inherited many of van Dyke’s patrons and "was the most technically proficient painter in England after the death of Van Dyck" in 1641). There may also have been practical and / or stylistic reasons for using it (e.g. Several theories have indeed been proposed. Sources and then can only be theoretically supposed. Its meaning and latent symbolism must be deduced from secondary
W HAND SIGN MEANING MANUALS
There are no art manuals that describe this specific gesture or what It was widely used by many artists in portraits of both male and female subjects, secular and non-secular, in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, most commonly (but not always) with the hand (either left or right) on the chest. El Greco was not the first to use this hand gesture, but two of his paintings are among the best known examples: The Disrobing of Christ (1579) and The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest (c.1580). It seems to have originated in late renaissance or Mannerism period from 1520 to the late 17th century, and was subsequently adopted by many artists in later periods. The hand gesture showing the middle fingers together has been variously described as a ‘W’ or ‘ pseudo-zygodactylous gesture’ or the ‘El Greco gesture’.
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