John Smith, Sir Godfrey Kneller

The artistic collaboration associated with John Smith and Sir Godfrey Kneller was active during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, with documented activity spanning the period of 1652 through 1721. Their catalog of preserved work focuses entirely on portraiture realized through the medium of prints, with thirteen examples represented in major institutional holdings.

The works retained in collections depict influential figures of the period, reflecting a deep engagement with contemporary political and cultural leaders. Notable prints held at the National Gallery of Art include Charles Montagu, First Earl of Halifax, Grinling Gibbons, Wood Carver, and Henry Aldrich, Dean of Christ Church. Other significant subjects represented are John Sheffield, Third Earl of Mulgrave, FirstDuke of Buckinghamshire and Robert Cecil.

The surviving body of work, comprising high-quality prints, establishes the artists’ contribution to historical portraiture. The presence of these John Smith, Sir Godfrey Kneller prints in the National Gallery of Art underscores their value as museum-quality documents of the era. Many of these historical images are now entering the public domain, making them widely accessible for scholarly study.