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George II (1683–1760), when Prince of Wales
Godfrey Kneller·1720
Historical Context
This portrait of the future George II when Prince of Wales, painted around 1720, depicts the son and heir during the contentious period when father and son were at open war — George I had expelled the Prince of Wales from St James's Palace in 1717. Kneller's ability to serve both the king and the rival court of the Prince of Wales demonstrates his professional flexibility in navigating dynastic politics through portraiture. The Prince of Wales portrait gave the heir apparent an official image that could circulate among his political supporters while maintaining his dynastic legitimacy. George II's later reign, from 1727 to 1760, would be the longest of any Hanoverian before him.
Technical Analysis
The princely portrait presents the young George with the martial bearing and aristocratic confidence expected of an heir to the throne, rendered in Kneller's characteristic broad, efficient style.
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