Nell Gwyn unveiled: Daring topless painting of Charles II’s mistress to go on display after lying in a private collection for 50 years
A daring portrait of King Charles II’s mistress Nell Gwyn which has not been seen for decades will go on show at a new exhibition later this month. Rarely seen, it shows a pale-skinned Gwyn, slightly reclining with a seductive, tilted gaze, flushed cheeks and breasts exposed. The portrait, painted by Simon Verelst around 1680, was altered at some stage, possibly in the 19th century, to cover up her nudity. But it has now been restored.