Anne Killigrew

This article is about the poet and painter. For the Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Henrietta Maria, see Anne Killigrew (lady-in-waiting).

Anne Killigrew
Anne Killigrew, self portrait
Anne Killigrew, self portrait
Born1660
St Martin's Lane, London, England
Died16 June 1685(1685-06-16) (aged 24–25)
London, England
OccupationPoet
NationalityBritish

Anne Killigrew (1660–1685) was an English poet and painter, described by contemporaries as "A Grace for beauty, and a Muse for wit." Born in London, she and her family were active in literary and court circles. Killigrew's poems were circulated in manuscript and collected and published posthumously in 1686 after she died from smallpox at age 25. They have been reprinted several times by modern scholars, most recently and thoroughly by Margaret J. M. Ezell.[1][2]

Killigrew was eulogized by John Dryden in his poem To The Pious Memory of the Accomplish'd Young Lady Mrs. Anne Killigrew (1686). Dryden praised her accomplishments in both Poësie, and Painting, and compared her poetic abilities to the famous Greek woman poet of antiquity, Sappho. Dryden's poem has received extensive critical analysis and a wide range of interpretations.

Several paintings attributed to Killigrew are known. These include a self-portrait in Berkeley Castle, and a portrait of James II of England in the Royal Collection (in 2019 on display in Hillsborough Castle). Both of these are about half life-size but full-length.[3]

Anne Killigrew, self-portrait, Berkeley Castle
Portrait of James II (1685) by Anne Killigrew
Venus Attired by the Three Graces by Anne Killigrew
  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kennedy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ezell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Gaze, Delia; Mihajlovic, Maja; Shrimpton, Leanda, eds. (1997). "Court Artists". Dictionary of Women Artists: Introductory surveys; Artists, A-I. Taylor & Francis. pp. 37–39. ISBN 9781884964213.