| Cowley at 25? Attributed to Sir Peter Lely (1618-80; active in England c. 1643-). Courtesy of the Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington. The dealer's records do not make it clear how this portait was identified as Cowley's, but it may be the basis for a print and for another painted portrait traditionally identified as Cowley's, No. 659 in the National Portrait Gallery, both traditionally ascribed to Lely's friend artist Mary Beale (1633-1699). Both young portraits, which have much in common, might well be allied artists' conceptions of young Cowley's looks based on Lely's better-known mature portrait. |