The statue is first recorded in the
Gonzaga collection in
Mantua, where it was inventoried in 1627 Whilst there it was seen by
Peter Paul Rubens, who stayed with the Gonzaga family whilst on the continent on diplomatic and art-collecting duties for
Charles I of England. It was an important influence on his
voluptuous style of painting the
female nude, so much so that it appeared at the
National Gallery's "Rubens: A Master in the Making" exhibition from 26 October 2005 to 15 January 2006 , 1612–13, executed after his stay with the Gonzaga at Mantua, where he saw the
Lely Crouching Venus, then in the
Gonzaga collection It was soon purchased from the Gonzagas, in 1627–28, for King
Charles I of England, It was remarked in England in 1631 as "the finest statue of all" and valued at 6000
ecus. On the dispersal of Charles's art collections during the
Commonwealth, it came into the possession of the painter and connoisseur Sir
Peter Lely, from whom it derives its name. Two years after Lely's death (1682), it was re-acquired from his heirs for the
Royal Collection. The statue was stolen from the
Palace of Whitehall after it was destroyed by fire on January 4, 1698, and was recovered four years later by the Crown. Since 2005 it has been on long-term loan to the
British Museum, following treatment by their conservators, and is currently on display in gallery 23. ==Notes==