For a long time, this painting was referred to as a “portrait of an unknown woman”. With the help of British specialists, in the early 20th century her identity as Catherine of Braganza, the consort of Charles II of England, was reinstated. The artist, Peter Lely (originally Pieter van der Faes), trained in the Netherlands, but mainly worked in England. There he was the leading portraitist at court, specialising in elegant painting in the footsteps of Anthony van Dyck.