Crossword Genius

As court painter, could he ring the monarch? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

kneller

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'as court painter could he' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't tell whether it can be defined by this definition.

'ring the monarch?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'ring' could be 'knell' (knelling is a kind of ringing) and 'knell' is found in the answer.
'monarch?' could be 'er' (abbreviation for Elizabeth Regina, British Queen) and 'er' is found in the answer.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for kneller that I've seen is " Sir Godfrey - - , painter".)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.