Barbara Villiers (1640–1709), Duchess of Cleveland

This portrait of Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, painted by Lely around 1670, depicts the most famous and powerful of Charles II's mistresses. Barbara Villiers was a legendary beauty who bore the king five children and wielded enormous political influence at the Restoration court. Lely painted her numerous times, most notably as part of the "Windsor Beauties" series, creating an enduring image of Restoration court glamour and sensuality.

Lely's mature court portrait style is fully realized in the soft, luminous flesh painting and the sumptuous rendering of silk and satin fabrics. The languid, heavy-lidded expression that became his trademark is achieved through subtle glazes and the carefully calculated fall of light.