A mezzotint of Louise, Duchess of Portsmouth after a portrait by Sir Peter Lely: almost full length, seated, with her body turned to the front and her head turned slightly to the right. She wears a loose gown, cut low and fastened with a brooch in front. She holds a stick in her right hand and her left hand is extended to feed a lamb with leaves. In the background, on the right, is a view of a landscape. First state of the plate.

Like other royal mistresses, the Duchess of Portsmouth was painted by Peter Lely several times, including in the guise of a sheperdess, c.1671, as reproduced here. This mezzotint was one of a large number of printed portraits of the duchess published in the late 1670s. Interest in and demand for images of Louise was high, for her French manners, fashions and hairstyle were widely imitated.

Text adapted from Charles II: Art & Power, London, 2017