In the company of friends: portrait drawing in 17th-century London

This display celebrates the recent acquisition of two rare 17th-century drawings by prominent English portrait painters Samuel Cooper (1609–72) and Richard Gibson (1615–90).

Both artists were part of a thriving artistic community that grew in London in the second half of the 17th century. The circle also included leading painters Sir Peter Lely (1618–80), Charles Beale (1660–1714 or 26) and Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723). Their world is reflected in the drawings selected for this display – informal and intimate portraits of family members, friends, tradespeople and servants, as well as of fellow artists.

Cooper's tender drawing memorialises his cousin's infant son, who died at only a few weeks old. The significance of the drawing was recognised following its sale at auction in 2023, and after an export stop barred the drawing from leaving the country, it became the first work by the artist to enter The British Museum collection. Gibson's portrait of a young gentleman, possibly his son-in-law, has the formality of an official portrait and likely functioned as a family keepsake. Both drawings contrast with the casual everyday poses – smoking, playing the recorder – depicted in Beale's sketchbook. Lely's lively sketch of his daughter illustrates the devotion of a father to his child, while Kneller's portrait of his friend and patron, the art collector Hugh Howard, gives a sense of shared purpose and love of art.