Godfrey Kneller

Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet was a German-British painter. The leading portraitist in England during the late Stuart and early Georgian eras, he served as court painter to successive English and British monarchs, including Charles II of England and George I of Great Britain. Kneller also painted scientists such as Isaac Newton, foreign monarchs such as Louis XIV of France and visitors to England such as Michael Shen Fu-Tsung. A pioneer of the kit-cat portrait, he was also commissioned by William III of England to paint eight "Hampton Court Beauties" to match a similar series of paintings of Charles II's "Windsor Beauties" that had been painted by Kneller's predecessor as court painter, Peter Lely.

8 August 1646

Born on the same birth day (8 August): Axel Merckx • Bruce Matthews (American football) • Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore • Cornelis Vreeswijk • Cécile Chaminade • Ernest Lawrence • Hur Jin-ho • Jack Cassel • Jimmy Steele (Irish republican) • John Gustafson (musician) • Károly Reich • Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings • Meagan Good • Michael Roe (racing driver) • Paul Taylor (cricketer, born 1964) • Rashard Lewis • Rinku Singh (baseball) • Ronnie Biggs • Willie Hall (drummer)

Born in the same month (August 1646): Jean-Baptiste du Casse • John Flamsteed