Circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller, German/English 1646-1723- Portrait of a lady, reputedly Catharina Boevey of Flaxley Abbey, Gloucestershire, half length, wearing a mauve dress, in a feigned oval; oil on canvas, bears old label inscribed 'A Portrait of Mrs Boevey / of Flaxley Abbey Gloucester.' attached to the upper stretcher bar, 77 x 64.2 cm. Provenance: Private Collection, UK. Note: According to the label attached to the reverse, the present portrait depicts Catharina Boevey (1669-1726) who, upon her husband's death in 1692, inherited the estate of Flaxley Abbey in Gloucester. Catharina was celebrated by contemporaries for her philanthropy, with a monument dedicated to her erected in Westminster Abbey. She is also widelybelieved to have been the inspiration for Richard Steele's (c.1671-1729) 'Perverse Widow'.

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