Portrait of a Lady 1631, by Jan ...
Item Ref
8553
Oil on marouflaged panel in good quality 18th century carved and giltwood frame.
Signed with initials and dated 'Anno. 1631. JVR" upper right.
A superb portrait of a gently smiling young woman; she wears a pearl necklace, the essential accessory of the period, but modestly conceals it beneath her fine muslin. No such modesty however, for the magnificent jewellery she wears across her bosom.
Her black clothing, fashionably slashed, is of the finest quality, beautifully decorated and contrasting with the exquisite white lace spread across her shoulders. In the work of great portraitists black is never dull, its pictorial potential is fully utilised.
Black is an ideal background against which gold can stand out to dramatic effect and to contrast with the crisp white linen and lace. This extreme opposition between black and white is both austere and exciting, and is a characteristic feature of the 17th century Dutch portrait.
The theory has been put forward that the sitter is Amalia van Solms, wife of the Dutch Stadtholder (and grandmother of England's William III), who was painted many times by many different artists.
However, we consider this unlikely, as does Fred Meijer, curator at RKD, Netherlands Institute for Art History, at The Hague. 'While it is totally conceivable that Amalia van Solms sat for van Ravesteyn, I do not see any striking resemblance. Otherwise this appears to be a fully characteristic work by the artist.'
Regardless of the identity of the sitter this is a superb and sensitive portrait by a famous artist from the Netherland's Golden Age of painting.
JAN ANTHONISZ. VAN RAVESTEYN
(c. 1572-1657) was one of the most important and successful Northern Netherlandish portrait painters of the first half of the seventeenth century, and the leading portraitist of the government centre, The Hague. He was working there for the Stadholder's Court, for local patricians and for the upper classes of other cities in the Southern part of Holland and in Zeeland.
His sitters are often depicted with rich costumes in the latest fashion, intentionally alluding to their wealth and status.
His earliest signed work is the well-known tondo portrait of the young Hugo Grotius, dated 1599 (Fondation Custodia, Paris).
As early as 1604 Karel van Mander mentioned the artist as one of the most competent portraitists of his time. A large number of signed and dated works from the next decades - especially from the year 1611 - are known, including several group portraits of the Hague civic guard.
The last dated portraits are from 1641, leading to the conclusion that the painter produced little, if anything, in the last fifteen years of his life. The general style of his work is closely related to that of the Delft portraitist Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt (1567-1641), but is generally less dry and often more flattering than the latter’s.
SIZE: 28 x 24.25 inches panel size.
34.5 x 31.5 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE:
*Collection of Alfred Morrisson M.P. of Fonthill House, Tisbury, Wiltshire. (see image 10). Alfred Morrisson (1821-1887) was an outstanding collector of fine and rare items.
*Latterly in the Private Collection of a Lady.
VERSO: two Victorian printed labels bearing much information of "M & B Bartington; Est. 1836. No. 58 Wardour Street, Soho" framer and restorer.
Victorian handwritten label "Alfred Morrisson Esq. No. 106. Three quarter picture of Dutch Lady by Jan van Ravesteyn. 20/12/87".
Signed with initials and dated 'Anno. 1631. JVR" upper right.
A superb portrait of a gently smiling young woman; she wears a pearl necklace, the essential accessory of the period, but modestly conceals it beneath her fine muslin. No such modesty however, for the magnificent jewellery she wears across her bosom.
Her black clothing, fashionably slashed, is of the finest quality, beautifully decorated and contrasting with the exquisite white lace spread across her shoulders. In the work of great portraitists black is never dull, its pictorial potential is fully utilised.
Black is an ideal background against which gold can stand out to dramatic effect and to contrast with the crisp white linen and lace. This extreme opposition between black and white is both austere and exciting, and is a characteristic feature of the 17th century Dutch portrait.
The theory has been put forward that the sitter is Amalia van Solms, wife of the Dutch Stadtholder (and grandmother of England's William III), who was painted many times by many different artists.
However, we consider this unlikely, as does Fred Meijer, curator at RKD, Netherlands Institute for Art History, at The Hague. 'While it is totally conceivable that Amalia van Solms sat for van Ravesteyn, I do not see any striking resemblance. Otherwise this appears to be a fully characteristic work by the artist.'
Regardless of the identity of the sitter this is a superb and sensitive portrait by a famous artist from the Netherland's Golden Age of painting.
JAN ANTHONISZ. VAN RAVESTEYN
(c. 1572-1657) was one of the most important and successful Northern Netherlandish portrait painters of the first half of the seventeenth century, and the leading portraitist of the government centre, The Hague. He was working there for the Stadholder's Court, for local patricians and for the upper classes of other cities in the Southern part of Holland and in Zeeland.
His sitters are often depicted with rich costumes in the latest fashion, intentionally alluding to their wealth and status.
His earliest signed work is the well-known tondo portrait of the young Hugo Grotius, dated 1599 (Fondation Custodia, Paris).
As early as 1604 Karel van Mander mentioned the artist as one of the most competent portraitists of his time. A large number of signed and dated works from the next decades - especially from the year 1611 - are known, including several group portraits of the Hague civic guard.
The last dated portraits are from 1641, leading to the conclusion that the painter produced little, if anything, in the last fifteen years of his life. The general style of his work is closely related to that of the Delft portraitist Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt (1567-1641), but is generally less dry and often more flattering than the latter’s.
SIZE: 28 x 24.25 inches panel size.
34.5 x 31.5 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE:
*Collection of Alfred Morrisson M.P. of Fonthill House, Tisbury, Wiltshire. (see image 10). Alfred Morrisson (1821-1887) was an outstanding collector of fine and rare items.
*Latterly in the Private Collection of a Lady.
VERSO: two Victorian printed labels bearing much information of "M & B Bartington; Est. 1836. No. 58 Wardour Street, Soho" framer and restorer.
Victorian handwritten label "Alfred Morrisson Esq. No. 106. Three quarter picture of Dutch Lady by Jan van Ravesteyn. 20/12/87".
£25,000
| $33,288 USD | €28,327 EUR
Portrait of a Gentleman 1666, Attributed to ...
Item Ref
8571
Oil on canvas; a superb quality portrait in a good 17th century carved and giltwood frame.
This powerful portrait has been known as Richard Cromwell, Oliver's third son, for many years, but, although the sitter bears a resemblance to the second Lord Protector, it is a doubtful attribution.
Looking directly and frankly at the viewer the sitter, almost certainly a military officer, makes no concession to any of the more foppish fashions of the day. He wears his own hair, not a wig, his cravat is simple. His sleeves have a silver thread pattern and over all he wears a breastplate with a buff leather coat beneath.
Although plain, all these items are of good quality...indeed, the young man must have been wealthy in order to commission such a high quality (and therefore expensive) portrait.
The different textures and appearance of all these materials, and the flesh and hair, are exquisitely painted by Hoogstraten.
Upper left, probably added in the 18th or 19th century, is the later inscription 'RICHARD CROMWELL', and to the middle right is another very faint inscription which seems to be contemporary with the portrait 'Aet. 23. Ano. 1666'.
If this date and the sitter's age are correct then it cannot be Cromwell who was born in 1626.
SAMUEL VAN HOOGSTRATEN (1627 - 1678)
Samuel van Hoogstraten was born in Dordrecht on 2 August 1627. He was first the pupil of his father, then, some time after his father's death in 1640, he entered Rembrandt's studio.
He painted genre scenes and portraits and he is well known as a specialist in perspective effects.
Hoogstraten travelled widely, visiting Rome and Vienna, where he was patronized by the Emperor. He was in London from 1662 to 1666, the time of the Great Fire.
He finally settled in his native town where he was made a Provost of the Mint. He published a book in 1678 "lnleyding tot de Hooge Schoole der Schilderkonst" (An Introduction to the Art of Painting), one of the few handbooks on painting published in Holland in that century. He died in Dordrecht on 19 October 1678.
SIZE: 29 x 23.5 inches canvas.
36.5 x 31 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Earl Granard K.P., Castle Forbes, County Longford, Ireland.(see image 6).
Private London Collection.
VERSO: Stencil "Earl of Granard KP Castle Forbes".
Hand written inscription, early 20th c. in appearance: "RICHARD CROMWELL. Painted by Robert Walker died 1659" (Unlikely attribution as the portrait is dated eight years after Walker's death.)
This powerful portrait has been known as Richard Cromwell, Oliver's third son, for many years, but, although the sitter bears a resemblance to the second Lord Protector, it is a doubtful attribution.
Looking directly and frankly at the viewer the sitter, almost certainly a military officer, makes no concession to any of the more foppish fashions of the day. He wears his own hair, not a wig, his cravat is simple. His sleeves have a silver thread pattern and over all he wears a breastplate with a buff leather coat beneath.
Although plain, all these items are of good quality...indeed, the young man must have been wealthy in order to commission such a high quality (and therefore expensive) portrait.
The different textures and appearance of all these materials, and the flesh and hair, are exquisitely painted by Hoogstraten.
Upper left, probably added in the 18th or 19th century, is the later inscription 'RICHARD CROMWELL', and to the middle right is another very faint inscription which seems to be contemporary with the portrait 'Aet. 23. Ano. 1666'.
If this date and the sitter's age are correct then it cannot be Cromwell who was born in 1626.
SAMUEL VAN HOOGSTRATEN (1627 - 1678)
Samuel van Hoogstraten was born in Dordrecht on 2 August 1627. He was first the pupil of his father, then, some time after his father's death in 1640, he entered Rembrandt's studio.
He painted genre scenes and portraits and he is well known as a specialist in perspective effects.
Hoogstraten travelled widely, visiting Rome and Vienna, where he was patronized by the Emperor. He was in London from 1662 to 1666, the time of the Great Fire.
He finally settled in his native town where he was made a Provost of the Mint. He published a book in 1678 "lnleyding tot de Hooge Schoole der Schilderkonst" (An Introduction to the Art of Painting), one of the few handbooks on painting published in Holland in that century. He died in Dordrecht on 19 October 1678.
SIZE: 29 x 23.5 inches canvas.
36.5 x 31 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Earl Granard K.P., Castle Forbes, County Longford, Ireland.(see image 6).
Private London Collection.
VERSO: Stencil "Earl of Granard KP Castle Forbes".
Hand written inscription, early 20th c. in appearance: "RICHARD CROMWELL. Painted by Robert Walker died 1659" (Unlikely attribution as the portrait is dated eight years after Walker's death.)
£23,000
| $30,625 USD | €26,060 EUR
Portrait of Guilford Killigrew 1709, by John ...
Item Ref
9051
Oil on canvas in a fine quality period frame.
The attractive young sitter points towards a plumed helmet, his hand grasping a sword; this is a reference to his aristocratic ancestry and his intention to become a soldier.
His coat of arms, name and the year 1709 are inscribed on the stone plinth.
GUILFORD KILLIGREW was born circa 1695. He was the son of Charles Killigrew and Jemima Bockenham.
He served as a cornet and later Lt Col of Lord Mark Kerr's Regiment of Dragoons according to the 1740 army list.
Guilford died on 18 February 1751. He left no issue. He was described as Lt Colonel of Kerr's Dragoons.
His will was proved on 23 July 1751 at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. He left his property in trust for Guilford Boyes, living under his protection, who was baptised 22 Sep 1730 at Allerton in Yorkshire, as daughter of John Boyes, and apprenticed to a milliner in Manchester. A Guilfred Killigrew married on 18 Sep 1759 at Manchester Cathedral to John Wright.
Guilford's father was Charles Killigrew (1655–1725) an English courtier, theatre manager and Master of the Revels.
Born at Maastricht on 29 December 1655, he was son of Thomas Killigrew the elder, by his second wife, Charlotte, daughter of John de Hesse of Holland. He was Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to Charles II, 1670, James II, 1685, and William III and Mary II, 1689. He was Master of the Revels in 1680, patentee of Drury Lane Theatre in 1682, and Commissioner of Prizes in 1707.
Killigrew lived at Somerset House, London, and Thornham Hall, Suffolk. His varied acquirements won him the friendship of John Dryden (cf. Dedication of Juvenal, 1693, p. xxiii), Humphrey Prideaux, and others. He was buried in the Savoy Hospital on 8 January 1725, leaving by his wife Jemima, niece of Richard Bokenham, mercer, of London, two sons, Charles (died 1756) and Guilford. His library was sold in the December following.
JOHN CLOSTERMAN (1660-1711) was born in Osnabruck, the son of an artist. His early training was from his father, but in 1679 he moved to Paris where for two years he studied under the portraitist Francois de Troy.
In 1681 Closterman came to England and entered into partnership with the established portrait painter John Riley.
By 1683 he had developed an independent practice; he was adept at baroque poses still with a slightly French influence, with rather flashily painted drapery
In the 1690's, as his reputation grew, he painted for more exalted and aristocratic patrons, like the Dukes of Somerset and Marlborough.
He lived in great splendour in his house in Covent Garden, London, with his wife Hannah.
In 1699, after a visit to Rome, he fell under the spell of the Antique and painted his famous full length portraits of the Earl of Shaftesbury in Classical pose.
SIZE: 67 x 42.25 inches including frame.
PROVENANCE:
*By descent through the Killigrew family of Thornham Hall, Eye, Suffolk.
*The Collection of the late Anne, Lady Winnington of Brockhill Court, Worcestershire, and London.
Verso: a label dated 1937 incorrectly attributing the portrait to Kneller.
The attractive young sitter points towards a plumed helmet, his hand grasping a sword; this is a reference to his aristocratic ancestry and his intention to become a soldier.
His coat of arms, name and the year 1709 are inscribed on the stone plinth.
GUILFORD KILLIGREW was born circa 1695. He was the son of Charles Killigrew and Jemima Bockenham.
He served as a cornet and later Lt Col of Lord Mark Kerr's Regiment of Dragoons according to the 1740 army list.
Guilford died on 18 February 1751. He left no issue. He was described as Lt Colonel of Kerr's Dragoons.
His will was proved on 23 July 1751 at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. He left his property in trust for Guilford Boyes, living under his protection, who was baptised 22 Sep 1730 at Allerton in Yorkshire, as daughter of John Boyes, and apprenticed to a milliner in Manchester. A Guilfred Killigrew married on 18 Sep 1759 at Manchester Cathedral to John Wright.
Guilford's father was Charles Killigrew (1655–1725) an English courtier, theatre manager and Master of the Revels.
Born at Maastricht on 29 December 1655, he was son of Thomas Killigrew the elder, by his second wife, Charlotte, daughter of John de Hesse of Holland. He was Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to Charles II, 1670, James II, 1685, and William III and Mary II, 1689. He was Master of the Revels in 1680, patentee of Drury Lane Theatre in 1682, and Commissioner of Prizes in 1707.
Killigrew lived at Somerset House, London, and Thornham Hall, Suffolk. His varied acquirements won him the friendship of John Dryden (cf. Dedication of Juvenal, 1693, p. xxiii), Humphrey Prideaux, and others. He was buried in the Savoy Hospital on 8 January 1725, leaving by his wife Jemima, niece of Richard Bokenham, mercer, of London, two sons, Charles (died 1756) and Guilford. His library was sold in the December following.
JOHN CLOSTERMAN (1660-1711) was born in Osnabruck, the son of an artist. His early training was from his father, but in 1679 he moved to Paris where for two years he studied under the portraitist Francois de Troy.
In 1681 Closterman came to England and entered into partnership with the established portrait painter John Riley.
By 1683 he had developed an independent practice; he was adept at baroque poses still with a slightly French influence, with rather flashily painted drapery
In the 1690's, as his reputation grew, he painted for more exalted and aristocratic patrons, like the Dukes of Somerset and Marlborough.
He lived in great splendour in his house in Covent Garden, London, with his wife Hannah.
In 1699, after a visit to Rome, he fell under the spell of the Antique and painted his famous full length portraits of the Earl of Shaftesbury in Classical pose.
SIZE: 67 x 42.25 inches including frame.
PROVENANCE:
*By descent through the Killigrew family of Thornham Hall, Eye, Suffolk.
*The Collection of the late Anne, Lady Winnington of Brockhill Court, Worcestershire, and London.
Verso: a label dated 1937 incorrectly attributing the portrait to Kneller.
£14,950
| $19,906 USD | €16,939 EUR
Portrait of Philippe II, Duke of Orleans ...
Item Ref
8955
Oil on canvas in a good quality reproduction frame.
This is a superb quality painting, the depiction of the various materials...silk, lace, gold, steel, hair and flesh is exquisite. Hands are often problematic with lesser artists but here they are totally realistic.
The Duke wears the Bourbon white silk sash and holds the baton of command of a high ranking officer.
PHILIPPE II, DUKE OF ORLEANS (1674-1723), Regent of France, the son of Philip I, duke of Orleans, and his second wife, the princess palatine, was born on the 2nd of August 1674, and had his first experience of arms at the siege of Mons in 1691. His marriage with Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, Mlle. de Blois, the legitimized daughter of Louis XIV, won him the favour of the king. He fought with distinction at Steinkerk, Neerwinden and Namur (1692-95). During the next few years, being without employment, he studied natural science. He was next given a command in Italy (1706) and in Spain (1707-08) where he gained some important successes, but he cherished lofty ambitions and was suspected of wishing to take the place of Philip V on the throne of Spain. Louis XIV was angry at these pretensions, and for a long time held him in disfavor. In his will, however, he appointed him president of the council of regency of the young King Louis XV (1715). After the death of the king, the duke of Orleans went to the parlement, had the will annulled, and himself invested with absolute power. At first he made a good use of this, counselling economy, decreasing taxation, disbanding 25,000 soldiers and restoring liberty to the persecuted Jansenists. But the inquisitorial measures which he had begun against the financiers led to disturbances.
There existed a party of malcontents who wished to transfer the regency from Orleans to Philip V, king of Spain. A conspiracy was formed, under the inspiration of Cardinal Alberoni, first minister of Spain, and directed by the prince of Cellamare, Spanish ambassador in France, with the complicity of the duke and duchess of Maine; but in 1718 it was discovered and defeated. Dubois, formerly tutor to the duke of Orleans, and now his all-powerful minister, caused war to be declared against Spain, with the support of the emperor, and of England and Holland (Quadruple Alliance). After some successes of the French marshal, the duke of Berwick, in Spain, and of the imperial troops in Sicily, Philip V made peace with the regent (1720).
On the majority of the king, which was declared on the 15th of February 1723, the duke of Orleans resigned the supreme power; but he became first minister to the king, and remained in office until his death on the 23rd of December 1723. The regent had great qualities, both brilliant and solid, which were unfortunately spoiled by an excessive taste for pleasure. His dissolute manners found only too many imitators, and the regency was one of the most corrupt periods in French history.
Father: Philip I, Duke of Orléans
Mother: Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (b. 1652, d. 1722)
Wife: Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, Mlle. de Blois (b. 1677, m. 1698, d. 1749)
Son: Louis, duke of Orléans (b. 1703, d. 1752)
JEAN-BAPTISTE SANTERRE (1651-1717)
Santerre was born at Magny-en-Vexin, near Pontoise. A pupil of Bon Boullogne, he began his painting career at a portraitist, with a notable work being a portrait of Marie Leszczynska with the Maison de St Cyr in the background (now at the musée de Versailles). He won a major reputation thanks to his academies. His most notable work is his Susanna Bathing (Louvre), the diploma work executed by him in 1704, when he was received into the Académie (1730–1770) and Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806). He painted the Duc d'Orleans on several occasions
SIZE: 52.5 x 51.75 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Private collection, East Kent.
This is a superb quality painting, the depiction of the various materials...silk, lace, gold, steel, hair and flesh is exquisite. Hands are often problematic with lesser artists but here they are totally realistic.
The Duke wears the Bourbon white silk sash and holds the baton of command of a high ranking officer.
PHILIPPE II, DUKE OF ORLEANS (1674-1723), Regent of France, the son of Philip I, duke of Orleans, and his second wife, the princess palatine, was born on the 2nd of August 1674, and had his first experience of arms at the siege of Mons in 1691. His marriage with Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, Mlle. de Blois, the legitimized daughter of Louis XIV, won him the favour of the king. He fought with distinction at Steinkerk, Neerwinden and Namur (1692-95). During the next few years, being without employment, he studied natural science. He was next given a command in Italy (1706) and in Spain (1707-08) where he gained some important successes, but he cherished lofty ambitions and was suspected of wishing to take the place of Philip V on the throne of Spain. Louis XIV was angry at these pretensions, and for a long time held him in disfavor. In his will, however, he appointed him president of the council of regency of the young King Louis XV (1715). After the death of the king, the duke of Orleans went to the parlement, had the will annulled, and himself invested with absolute power. At first he made a good use of this, counselling economy, decreasing taxation, disbanding 25,000 soldiers and restoring liberty to the persecuted Jansenists. But the inquisitorial measures which he had begun against the financiers led to disturbances.
There existed a party of malcontents who wished to transfer the regency from Orleans to Philip V, king of Spain. A conspiracy was formed, under the inspiration of Cardinal Alberoni, first minister of Spain, and directed by the prince of Cellamare, Spanish ambassador in France, with the complicity of the duke and duchess of Maine; but in 1718 it was discovered and defeated. Dubois, formerly tutor to the duke of Orleans, and now his all-powerful minister, caused war to be declared against Spain, with the support of the emperor, and of England and Holland (Quadruple Alliance). After some successes of the French marshal, the duke of Berwick, in Spain, and of the imperial troops in Sicily, Philip V made peace with the regent (1720).
On the majority of the king, which was declared on the 15th of February 1723, the duke of Orleans resigned the supreme power; but he became first minister to the king, and remained in office until his death on the 23rd of December 1723. The regent had great qualities, both brilliant and solid, which were unfortunately spoiled by an excessive taste for pleasure. His dissolute manners found only too many imitators, and the regency was one of the most corrupt periods in French history.
Father: Philip I, Duke of Orléans
Mother: Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (b. 1652, d. 1722)
Wife: Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, Mlle. de Blois (b. 1677, m. 1698, d. 1749)
Son: Louis, duke of Orléans (b. 1703, d. 1752)
JEAN-BAPTISTE SANTERRE (1651-1717)
Santerre was born at Magny-en-Vexin, near Pontoise. A pupil of Bon Boullogne, he began his painting career at a portraitist, with a notable work being a portrait of Marie Leszczynska with the Maison de St Cyr in the background (now at the musée de Versailles). He won a major reputation thanks to his academies. His most notable work is his Susanna Bathing (Louvre), the diploma work executed by him in 1704, when he was received into the Académie (1730–1770) and Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806). He painted the Duc d'Orleans on several occasions
SIZE: 52.5 x 51.75 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Private collection, East Kent.
£13,250
| $17,643 USD | €15,013 EUR
Portrait of Mary Dodding 1677, by John ...
Item Ref
9058
Oil on canvas in a gilt reproduction frame of correct type.
This is a very high quality portrait typical of Wright's fine and sensitive work, with the haunting sense of character that Wright conveys. He would appear to have been far more interested in conveying intelligence than rivals such as Lely, and here, as always, we sense that the sitter is of an alert and enquiring mind.
Inscribed upper left "Mary, Daughter of George Dodding Esq. A.D. 1677."
This is almost certainly a portrait painted to mark Mary's marriage to Thomas Preston.
The surname Dodding was first found in Somerset at Doddington, which predates the Norman Conquest dating back to c. 975 when it was first listed as Dundingtune. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the village was known as Dodington.
There are other places similarly named in the Domesday Book but this is the only pre-Conquest village making it of Saxon origin. In early days, some of the family were found much further north in Cumberland at Kirk-Oswald where the estates of Kirk-Oswald were granted by Elizabeth I to the Dodding family.
MARY DODDING was the daughter of George Dodding Esq. of Conishead Priory; he was the son of Colonel George Dodding, (who had raised and commanded one of the Lancashire Regiments of Foot for Parliament during the Civil War, mainly recruited around Cartmel and Grange-over-Sands)
Colonel Dodding was the son of Miles Dodding Esq, of Conishead Priory, Lancashire.
Mary married Thomas Preston M.P. for Lancaster in, it is thought, 1677. Thomas was born in 1646 and died in 1697. He is buried at Cartmel, Cumbria. Mary's birth and death dates are not known, but the marriage was brief as Thomas married again and had two children from that union. There were no offspring from his earlier marriage, so it is very probable that Mary died in childbirth as was very common.
JOHN MICHAEL WRIGHT (May 1617 – July 1694) was a portrait painter in the Baroque style. Described variously as English and Scottish, Wright trained in Edinburgh under the Scots painter George Jamesone, and acquired a considerable reputation as an artist and scholar during a long sojourn in Rome. There he was admitted to the Accademia di San Luca, and was associated with some of the leading artists of his generation. He was engaged by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, the governor of the Spanish Netherlands, to acquire artworks in Oliver Cromwell's England in 1655. He took up permanent residence in England from 1656, and served as Court Painter before and after the English Restoration. He was a favourite of the restored Stuart court, a client of both Charles II and James II, and was a witness to many of the political manoeuvres of the era.
Wright is currently rated as one of the leading indigenous British painters of his generation, largely for the distinctive realism in his portraiture. Perhaps due to the unusually cosmopolitan nature of his experience, he was favoured by patrons at the highest level of society in an age in which foreign artists were usually preferred. Wright's paintings of royalty, aristocracy and gentry are included amongst the collections of many leading galleries today.
SIZE: 35.25 x 30.25 inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: latterly in a private collection in Sidmouth, Devon.
This is a very high quality portrait typical of Wright's fine and sensitive work, with the haunting sense of character that Wright conveys. He would appear to have been far more interested in conveying intelligence than rivals such as Lely, and here, as always, we sense that the sitter is of an alert and enquiring mind.
Inscribed upper left "Mary, Daughter of George Dodding Esq. A.D. 1677."
This is almost certainly a portrait painted to mark Mary's marriage to Thomas Preston.
The surname Dodding was first found in Somerset at Doddington, which predates the Norman Conquest dating back to c. 975 when it was first listed as Dundingtune. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the village was known as Dodington.
There are other places similarly named in the Domesday Book but this is the only pre-Conquest village making it of Saxon origin. In early days, some of the family were found much further north in Cumberland at Kirk-Oswald where the estates of Kirk-Oswald were granted by Elizabeth I to the Dodding family.
MARY DODDING was the daughter of George Dodding Esq. of Conishead Priory; he was the son of Colonel George Dodding, (who had raised and commanded one of the Lancashire Regiments of Foot for Parliament during the Civil War, mainly recruited around Cartmel and Grange-over-Sands)
Colonel Dodding was the son of Miles Dodding Esq, of Conishead Priory, Lancashire.
Mary married Thomas Preston M.P. for Lancaster in, it is thought, 1677. Thomas was born in 1646 and died in 1697. He is buried at Cartmel, Cumbria. Mary's birth and death dates are not known, but the marriage was brief as Thomas married again and had two children from that union. There were no offspring from his earlier marriage, so it is very probable that Mary died in childbirth as was very common.
JOHN MICHAEL WRIGHT (May 1617 – July 1694) was a portrait painter in the Baroque style. Described variously as English and Scottish, Wright trained in Edinburgh under the Scots painter George Jamesone, and acquired a considerable reputation as an artist and scholar during a long sojourn in Rome. There he was admitted to the Accademia di San Luca, and was associated with some of the leading artists of his generation. He was engaged by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, the governor of the Spanish Netherlands, to acquire artworks in Oliver Cromwell's England in 1655. He took up permanent residence in England from 1656, and served as Court Painter before and after the English Restoration. He was a favourite of the restored Stuart court, a client of both Charles II and James II, and was a witness to many of the political manoeuvres of the era.
Wright is currently rated as one of the leading indigenous British painters of his generation, largely for the distinctive realism in his portraiture. Perhaps due to the unusually cosmopolitan nature of his experience, he was favoured by patrons at the highest level of society in an age in which foreign artists were usually preferred. Wright's paintings of royalty, aristocracy and gentry are included amongst the collections of many leading galleries today.
SIZE: 35.25 x 30.25 inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: latterly in a private collection in Sidmouth, Devon.
£12,950
| $17,243 USD | €14,673 EUR
Portrait of Three French Aristocratic Children c.1690; ...
Item Ref
8763
Oil on canvas in 18th century giltwood frame.
A superb quality large 17th century portrait of three children of the French nobility. Such is the splendour and expense of their fashionable clothing that the girls may be princesses, especially as a young gentleman kneels before them. Possibly some of Louis XIV's numerous progeny sired on his several mistresses. Louis legitimised these children and they all received titles.
On the reverse of the painting is a very faint inscription which seems to read "Children of Louis 14th by Pierre Mignard".
The painting has been reduced in size and changed from rectangle to oval, probably in the late 18th century,as that is the date of the frame, whether because of damage or for a decorative purpose is not known.
PIERRE MIGNARD (1612-1695) was a member of a family of artists, he was a painter in the classical French Baroque manner, known primarily for his court portraits.
In 1635 Mignard left the studio of Simon Vouet for Italy, where he spent 22 years and made a reputation that brought him a summons to Paris in 1657. Successful with his portrait of Louis XIV and in favour with the court, Mignard pitted himself against Charles Le Brun; he declined to enter the French Royal Academy, of which Le Brun was the head, and he organized the opposition to its authority.
Mignard was chiefly active in portraiture; many of the beauties and celebrities of his day sat for him, including Molière, the Viscount de Turenne, Jacques Bossuet, the Marquise de Maintenon, the Marquise de Sévigné, and the Marquise de Montespan. His skilful technique and graceful arrangements are noteworthy.
With the death of Le Brun (1690), Mignard succeeded to all the posts held by his opponent. These late honours he did not long enjoy. He died while about to commence work on the cupola of the Hôtel des Invalides. His brother Nicolas Mignard (1606–68) and his nephew Paul Mignard (c. 1638–91) were also accomplished painters.
SIZE: 56.00inch framed height 44.00inch framed width (142.24 cm framed height 111.76 cm framed width)
PROVENANCE: Collection of Maria Carmela, Viscountess Hambleden of Hambleden Manor, Buckinghamshire since the 1950s.
This portrait was selected by John Fowler, of Colefax and Fowler, in the 1950s, for Hambleden Manor, home of the Viscountess Hambleden.
It hung there until July 2013 when the countess moved to a smaller property on the estate. The decoration and furnishing of Hambleden Manor is regarded as one of Fowler's earliest major achievements.
(Image 10 shows Hambleden Manor)
Inscribed verso; "Children of Louis 14th by Pierre Mignard".(?)
A superb quality large 17th century portrait of three children of the French nobility. Such is the splendour and expense of their fashionable clothing that the girls may be princesses, especially as a young gentleman kneels before them. Possibly some of Louis XIV's numerous progeny sired on his several mistresses. Louis legitimised these children and they all received titles.
On the reverse of the painting is a very faint inscription which seems to read "Children of Louis 14th by Pierre Mignard".
The painting has been reduced in size and changed from rectangle to oval, probably in the late 18th century,as that is the date of the frame, whether because of damage or for a decorative purpose is not known.
PIERRE MIGNARD (1612-1695) was a member of a family of artists, he was a painter in the classical French Baroque manner, known primarily for his court portraits.
In 1635 Mignard left the studio of Simon Vouet for Italy, where he spent 22 years and made a reputation that brought him a summons to Paris in 1657. Successful with his portrait of Louis XIV and in favour with the court, Mignard pitted himself against Charles Le Brun; he declined to enter the French Royal Academy, of which Le Brun was the head, and he organized the opposition to its authority.
Mignard was chiefly active in portraiture; many of the beauties and celebrities of his day sat for him, including Molière, the Viscount de Turenne, Jacques Bossuet, the Marquise de Maintenon, the Marquise de Sévigné, and the Marquise de Montespan. His skilful technique and graceful arrangements are noteworthy.
With the death of Le Brun (1690), Mignard succeeded to all the posts held by his opponent. These late honours he did not long enjoy. He died while about to commence work on the cupola of the Hôtel des Invalides. His brother Nicolas Mignard (1606–68) and his nephew Paul Mignard (c. 1638–91) were also accomplished painters.
SIZE: 56.00inch framed height 44.00inch framed width (142.24 cm framed height 111.76 cm framed width)
PROVENANCE: Collection of Maria Carmela, Viscountess Hambleden of Hambleden Manor, Buckinghamshire since the 1950s.
This portrait was selected by John Fowler, of Colefax and Fowler, in the 1950s, for Hambleden Manor, home of the Viscountess Hambleden.
It hung there until July 2013 when the countess moved to a smaller property on the estate. The decoration and furnishing of Hambleden Manor is regarded as one of Fowler's earliest major achievements.
(Image 10 shows Hambleden Manor)
Inscribed verso; "Children of Louis 14th by Pierre Mignard".(?)
£12,950
| $17,243 USD | €14,673 EUR
Portrait of Prince Rupert, mid 17th century; ...
Item Ref
9068
Oil on canvas in a magnificent carved and gilt frame. It shows Rupert at about the age of 14 when he first became a soldier. After a pattern favoured by van Honthorst who painted Rupert, at different ages, several times. His Studio and those of his Circle produced a number of versions of van Honthorst's portraits of the senior Royalists.
Difficult to date precisely, most of these copies were produced around the middle of the 17th century, particularly during the time of the English Civil War and the King's execution in 1649. They were much in demand to adorn the private walls of Royalist supporters.
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, Duke of Cumberland, Earl of Holderness, commonly called PRINCE RUPERT OF THE RHINE, KG, PC, FRS ( 1619 – 1682), was a noted German soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century. Rupert was a younger son of the German prince Frederick V, Elector Palatine and his wife Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of James I of England. Thus Rupert was the nephew of King Charles I of England, who made him Duke of Cumberland and Earl of Holderness, and the first cousin of King Charles II of England. His sister Electress Sophia was the mother of George I of Great Britain.
Prince Rupert had a varied career. He was a soldier from a young age, fighting against Spain in the Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648), and against the Holy Roman Emperor in Germany during the Thirty Years' War (1618–48). Aged 23, he was appointed commander of the Royalist cavalry during the English Civil War (1642–46), becoming the archetypal Cavalier of the war and ultimately the senior Royalist general. He surrendered after the fall of Bristol and was banished from England. He served under Louis XIV of France against Spain, and then as a Royalist privateer in the Caribbean. Following the Restoration, Rupert returned to England, becoming a senior British naval commander during the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch wars, engaging in scientific invention, art, and serving as the first Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. Rupert died in England in 1682, aged 62.
Rupert is considered to have been a quick-thinking and energetic cavalry general, but ultimately undermined by his youthful impatience in dealing with his peers during the Civil War. In the Interregnum, Rupert continued the conflict against Parliament by sea from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, showing considerable persistence in the face of adversity. As the head of the Royal Navy in his later years, he showed greater maturity and made impressive and long-lasting contributions to the Royal Navy's doctrine and development. As a colonial governor, Rupert shaped the political geography of modern Canada—Rupert's Land was named in his honour. Rupert's varied and numerous scientific and administrative interests combined with his considerable artistic skills made him one of the more colourful individuals of the Restoration period.
GERRIT VAN HONTHORST (1592 – 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painter; born in Utrecht,
He built a considerable reputation both in the Dutch Republic and abroad. Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia, mother of Prince Rupert, sister of Charles I of England, then in exile in the Netherlands, commissioned Honthorst as a painter. Through her he became known to King Charles, who invited him to England in 1628.
After his return to Utrecht, Honthorst retained the patronage of the English monarch, painting for him, in 1631, a large picture of the king and queen of Bohemia and all their children. His popularity in the Netherlands was such that he opened a second studio in the Hague, where he painted portraits of members of the court. These were large studios, where the work of his assistants included making replicas of Honthorst's royal portraits.
SIZE: 32.5 x 28.5 inches including frame.
PROVENANCE: Wiltshire Private Collection.
Difficult to date precisely, most of these copies were produced around the middle of the 17th century, particularly during the time of the English Civil War and the King's execution in 1649. They were much in demand to adorn the private walls of Royalist supporters.
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, Duke of Cumberland, Earl of Holderness, commonly called PRINCE RUPERT OF THE RHINE, KG, PC, FRS ( 1619 – 1682), was a noted German soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century. Rupert was a younger son of the German prince Frederick V, Elector Palatine and his wife Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of James I of England. Thus Rupert was the nephew of King Charles I of England, who made him Duke of Cumberland and Earl of Holderness, and the first cousin of King Charles II of England. His sister Electress Sophia was the mother of George I of Great Britain.
Prince Rupert had a varied career. He was a soldier from a young age, fighting against Spain in the Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648), and against the Holy Roman Emperor in Germany during the Thirty Years' War (1618–48). Aged 23, he was appointed commander of the Royalist cavalry during the English Civil War (1642–46), becoming the archetypal Cavalier of the war and ultimately the senior Royalist general. He surrendered after the fall of Bristol and was banished from England. He served under Louis XIV of France against Spain, and then as a Royalist privateer in the Caribbean. Following the Restoration, Rupert returned to England, becoming a senior British naval commander during the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch wars, engaging in scientific invention, art, and serving as the first Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. Rupert died in England in 1682, aged 62.
Rupert is considered to have been a quick-thinking and energetic cavalry general, but ultimately undermined by his youthful impatience in dealing with his peers during the Civil War. In the Interregnum, Rupert continued the conflict against Parliament by sea from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, showing considerable persistence in the face of adversity. As the head of the Royal Navy in his later years, he showed greater maturity and made impressive and long-lasting contributions to the Royal Navy's doctrine and development. As a colonial governor, Rupert shaped the political geography of modern Canada—Rupert's Land was named in his honour. Rupert's varied and numerous scientific and administrative interests combined with his considerable artistic skills made him one of the more colourful individuals of the Restoration period.
GERRIT VAN HONTHORST (1592 – 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painter; born in Utrecht,
He built a considerable reputation both in the Dutch Republic and abroad. Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia, mother of Prince Rupert, sister of Charles I of England, then in exile in the Netherlands, commissioned Honthorst as a painter. Through her he became known to King Charles, who invited him to England in 1628.
After his return to Utrecht, Honthorst retained the patronage of the English monarch, painting for him, in 1631, a large picture of the king and queen of Bohemia and all their children. His popularity in the Netherlands was such that he opened a second studio in the Hague, where he painted portraits of members of the court. These were large studios, where the work of his assistants included making replicas of Honthorst's royal portraits.
SIZE: 32.5 x 28.5 inches including frame.
PROVENANCE: Wiltshire Private Collection.
£12,950
| $17,243 USD | €14,673 EUR
Portrait of a Diamond Merchant c.1620; Studio ...
Item Ref
9059
Oil on panel, the back skilfully and expensively 'cradled', in an appropriate frame.
This is a superb portrait from the Dutch Golden Age of painting; fine quality and with a very real sense of the sitter's personality and strength of character.
The sitter, a diamond merchant, looks out with confidence...almost challengingly. His right hand, holding tweezers, rests on a table upon which sits a small collection of diamonds; he also wears a gold ring with a large stone set in it.
CORNELIS VAN DER VOORT or van der Voorde (Antwerp 1576 - Amsterdam 1624) flourished as a portrait painter in Amsterdam from around 1614 to his death in 1624.
This painting is an excellent example of his portraits popular with wealthy Dutch burghers and merchants. The sitter is soberly but richly dressed in a black garment trimmed with fashionable and expensive reticella lace and a starched millstone ruff, Clothes and accessories were of enormous importance. Often immense sums were spent on them, and sitters were justifiably proud and anxious to show them off. Their clothes and accessories also carried strong social connotations.
The artist invests the portrait with great dignity. He subtly evokes the textures of the costume, underlining their costliness: the translucent material of the ruff; the intricate lace; the complex pattern of flowers and leaves on the suit.
Black was the high fashion of that era and this portrait rises to the challenge of painting black on black to depict the floral pattern of the doublet. Standing solidly in space, beautifully moulded by light, the portrait has a lively human presence.Van de Voort's work was in great demand and held in high esteem. In 1619 Van der Voort was the head of the Guild of St. Luke. He had a strong influence on the early portraits of Rembrandt, as well as the work of Nicolaes Eliasz. Pickenoy and Thomas de Keyser. His own students included David Bailly, who copied his collection of paintings, Pieter Luyx, Dirk Harmensz. and probably Pieter Codde...all artists of note.
SIZE: 56.5 x 43.75 inches including frame.
PROVENANCE:* The Weiss Gallery, London.
* For the last 25 years in the collection of an aristocratic family in Sussex.
This is a superb portrait from the Dutch Golden Age of painting; fine quality and with a very real sense of the sitter's personality and strength of character.
The sitter, a diamond merchant, looks out with confidence...almost challengingly. His right hand, holding tweezers, rests on a table upon which sits a small collection of diamonds; he also wears a gold ring with a large stone set in it.
CORNELIS VAN DER VOORT or van der Voorde (Antwerp 1576 - Amsterdam 1624) flourished as a portrait painter in Amsterdam from around 1614 to his death in 1624.
This painting is an excellent example of his portraits popular with wealthy Dutch burghers and merchants. The sitter is soberly but richly dressed in a black garment trimmed with fashionable and expensive reticella lace and a starched millstone ruff, Clothes and accessories were of enormous importance. Often immense sums were spent on them, and sitters were justifiably proud and anxious to show them off. Their clothes and accessories also carried strong social connotations.
The artist invests the portrait with great dignity. He subtly evokes the textures of the costume, underlining their costliness: the translucent material of the ruff; the intricate lace; the complex pattern of flowers and leaves on the suit.
Black was the high fashion of that era and this portrait rises to the challenge of painting black on black to depict the floral pattern of the doublet. Standing solidly in space, beautifully moulded by light, the portrait has a lively human presence.Van de Voort's work was in great demand and held in high esteem. In 1619 Van der Voort was the head of the Guild of St. Luke. He had a strong influence on the early portraits of Rembrandt, as well as the work of Nicolaes Eliasz. Pickenoy and Thomas de Keyser. His own students included David Bailly, who copied his collection of paintings, Pieter Luyx, Dirk Harmensz. and probably Pieter Codde...all artists of note.
SIZE: 56.5 x 43.75 inches including frame.
PROVENANCE:* The Weiss Gallery, London.
* For the last 25 years in the collection of an aristocratic family in Sussex.
£12,850
| $17,110 USD | €14,560 EUR
Portraits of the Leggat Family of Yorkshire, ...
Item Ref
9055
Three oils on canvas of the Leggat family, in carved and gilded frames. These are utterly charming images of a prosperous middle class family. It is rare for the group to have remained together for about 250 years and is nearly always the sign that the portraits have remained within the family.
Husband Peter wears a rose in his buttonhole and carries a stick which appears to be of a ceremonial type. Clearly these items are of significance, but their meaning is not known.
His wife Sarah, is dressed in a very fashionable and expensive manner. The flowers to her left are not just ornamental but signify her fruitfulness as a mother.
The children, Jane and Elizabeth, also expensively dressed, are shown with a basket of flowers and a dog. Again, these are symbols; the dog may have been a pet but it also represents trust and faithfulness, and is a reminder that, as animals need to be trained, so do children. The flowers are for their future fruitfulness in marriage. In the background can be seen a fortified manor house, probably their home but also representing their ancient family history. The walls around it seem to be of Yorkshire drystone walling.
The family have always believed that the portraits were by a Yorkshire artist, William Routh .. but no such artist is recorded. It is possible that Routh was a talented family friend and not a professional painter.
This surname LEGGAT was derived from the Old French LEGAT, and was brought into England in the wake of the Norman Invasion of 1066. The name may have been given to an official elected to represent his village at the manor court.
Early records of the name mention Geoffrey Le Legat who was documented in the County Devon in 1273 and Ricardus Leget of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Later instances of the name include a certain Richard Colfe who married Elizabeth Legget at St. Dionis Backchurch, London in 1585. Henry Legit married Catherine Eagan, St, George's. Hanover Square, London in 1770.
SIZE: framed; 34 x 28.5 inches (the adults); the children 33x 28.5 inches.
PROVENANCE: By descent through the family in Yorkshire.
Accompanying the portraits are several old family documents and a Book of Common Prayer given my Peter to his father John in 1786. It must have been well used as a note says it was rebound in 1812.
Husband Peter wears a rose in his buttonhole and carries a stick which appears to be of a ceremonial type. Clearly these items are of significance, but their meaning is not known.
His wife Sarah, is dressed in a very fashionable and expensive manner. The flowers to her left are not just ornamental but signify her fruitfulness as a mother.
The children, Jane and Elizabeth, also expensively dressed, are shown with a basket of flowers and a dog. Again, these are symbols; the dog may have been a pet but it also represents trust and faithfulness, and is a reminder that, as animals need to be trained, so do children. The flowers are for their future fruitfulness in marriage. In the background can be seen a fortified manor house, probably their home but also representing their ancient family history. The walls around it seem to be of Yorkshire drystone walling.
The family have always believed that the portraits were by a Yorkshire artist, William Routh .. but no such artist is recorded. It is possible that Routh was a talented family friend and not a professional painter.
This surname LEGGAT was derived from the Old French LEGAT, and was brought into England in the wake of the Norman Invasion of 1066. The name may have been given to an official elected to represent his village at the manor court.
Early records of the name mention Geoffrey Le Legat who was documented in the County Devon in 1273 and Ricardus Leget of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Later instances of the name include a certain Richard Colfe who married Elizabeth Legget at St. Dionis Backchurch, London in 1585. Henry Legit married Catherine Eagan, St, George's. Hanover Square, London in 1770.
SIZE: framed; 34 x 28.5 inches (the adults); the children 33x 28.5 inches.
PROVENANCE: By descent through the family in Yorkshire.
Accompanying the portraits are several old family documents and a Book of Common Prayer given my Peter to his father John in 1786. It must have been well used as a note says it was rebound in 1812.
£12,850
| $17,110 USD | €14,560 EUR
Portrait of Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland ...
Item Ref
9073
Oil on canvas in a modern reproduction frame.
As the most notorious and most frequently painted of King Charles II's mistresses, Barbara Villiers Duchess of Cleveland remains one of the most enduring symbols of the indulgences and excesses of the Restoration Court. This portrait derives from a work by Sir Peter Lely painted c.1662.
A portrait, identical to this one, apart from being painted within a feigned cartouche, sold at Bonhams in December 2003 for £10,157 including buyer's premium.
At the Restoration Villiers was established as the king's favourite mistress and despite his marriage to Catherine of Braganza and the jealousy of other courtiers, she maintained a powerful influence at Court. At least three of her children were acknowledged as his by the king and by 1665 she was termed the 'maitresse en titre'. Among her various liaisons was one in 1668 with the actor Charles Hart in retaliation for the king's growing attraction for actresses such as Moll Davis and Nell Gwyn.
In 1670 she was created Baroness Nonsuch, Countess of Southampton and Duchess of Cleveland. This was a reward for her services but also a compensation for retirement. By the early 1670s her influence had been entirely supplanted by Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth. After this she spent some time in Paris before returning to England a few months before Charles II's death in 1685. On the death of her husband Roger, Earl of Castlemaine in 1705 she married Major-General Robert Fielding, a bigamist who was jailed for threatening and maltreating his wife. She died at Chiswick on 9th October 1709. Among her various illegitimate children by the King were the Duke of Grafton, the Duke of Southampton and Lady Charlotte Fitzroy, Countess of Lichfield.
Portraits of Villiers, and other of the king's mistresses, were much in demand and many copies were produced to satisfy this market. They were not cheap; Samuel Pepys could not afford one and had to settle for a print.
SIR PETER LELY (1618 - 1680) was the most important portraitist in the reign of Charles II, although he had painted portraits throughout the Commonwealth. Principal Painter to the King, he painted everyone of importance, maintaining a busy and active Studio to help with the huge demand for his portraits. Members of his Circle, and his Followers, many of them talented artists in their own right, emulated his style to supply this constant market.
SIZE: 35.25 x 30.75 x 2 inches including the frame.
PROVENANCE:
*Derbyshire Private Collection. (Verso; a trade label for a now defunct Ticknall restoration studio).
*Sussex Private Collection.
As the most notorious and most frequently painted of King Charles II's mistresses, Barbara Villiers Duchess of Cleveland remains one of the most enduring symbols of the indulgences and excesses of the Restoration Court. This portrait derives from a work by Sir Peter Lely painted c.1662.
A portrait, identical to this one, apart from being painted within a feigned cartouche, sold at Bonhams in December 2003 for £10,157 including buyer's premium.
At the Restoration Villiers was established as the king's favourite mistress and despite his marriage to Catherine of Braganza and the jealousy of other courtiers, she maintained a powerful influence at Court. At least three of her children were acknowledged as his by the king and by 1665 she was termed the 'maitresse en titre'. Among her various liaisons was one in 1668 with the actor Charles Hart in retaliation for the king's growing attraction for actresses such as Moll Davis and Nell Gwyn.
In 1670 she was created Baroness Nonsuch, Countess of Southampton and Duchess of Cleveland. This was a reward for her services but also a compensation for retirement. By the early 1670s her influence had been entirely supplanted by Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth. After this she spent some time in Paris before returning to England a few months before Charles II's death in 1685. On the death of her husband Roger, Earl of Castlemaine in 1705 she married Major-General Robert Fielding, a bigamist who was jailed for threatening and maltreating his wife. She died at Chiswick on 9th October 1709. Among her various illegitimate children by the King were the Duke of Grafton, the Duke of Southampton and Lady Charlotte Fitzroy, Countess of Lichfield.
Portraits of Villiers, and other of the king's mistresses, were much in demand and many copies were produced to satisfy this market. They were not cheap; Samuel Pepys could not afford one and had to settle for a print.
SIR PETER LELY (1618 - 1680) was the most important portraitist in the reign of Charles II, although he had painted portraits throughout the Commonwealth. Principal Painter to the King, he painted everyone of importance, maintaining a busy and active Studio to help with the huge demand for his portraits. Members of his Circle, and his Followers, many of them talented artists in their own right, emulated his style to supply this constant market.
SIZE: 35.25 x 30.75 x 2 inches including the frame.
PROVENANCE:
*Derbyshire Private Collection. (Verso; a trade label for a now defunct Ticknall restoration studio).
*Sussex Private Collection.
£11,950
| $15,912 USD | €13,540 EUR
Portrait of The Hon. Frederick John Shore, ...
Item Ref
9021
Oil on canvas in the original Regency gilt frame.
This is a superb portrait of the young nobleman, sensitive and insightful, his hair in the fashionably Byronic style. It is a fine example of the best work of Devis.
THE HONOURABLE FREDERICK JOHN SHORE, (1799-1827), 2nd son of the 1st Lord Teignmouth, Governor General of India and anti slavery campaigner.
The sitter was born in England in May 1799 and married Charlotte Mary Cornish (1800-1883), the daughter of his mother's younger brother, in January 1830. He was the author of "Indian Affairs", a noted political treatise, whilst an employee of the East India Company.
At this time the East India Company ruled large areas of India with its own private armies, exercising military power and assuming administrative functions.
Company rule in India effectively began in 1757 and lasted until 1858 when, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Government of India Act 1858 led to the British Crown assuming direct control of India in the form of the new British Raj.
An old handwritten label verso informs us that Frederick was killed "at the storming of a Robber Fort in India" two days before his 38th birthday.
His wife bore him three children, Louisa Sara, Arthur Frederick and Clara Maria.
ARTHUR WILLIAM DEVIS (1762 - 1822). Devis was the son of Arthur Devis, a successful portrait painter. Devis enrolled at the Royal Academy Schools at the age of twelve and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1775. In 1782, he embarked aboard the Antelope for a voyage to the East Indies, in the capacity of draughtsman. The ship was wrecked and Devis and the crew were stranded for a year on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. After a series of extraordinary adventures, during which he took part in the wars of the natives on a neighbouring island and received two arrow wounds, Devis arrived in India, where he settled for ten years, establishing a successful practice as a painter of portraits and local scenes. He attracted the attention of Sir William Jones, Lord Cornwallis and General Harris. He returned to England in 1795, concentrating mainly on painting portraits and a few notable history subjects. Perhaps his best known painting is the famous "Death of Nelson".
SIZE: 39 x 34.25 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: By descent in the family of the sitter.
Images 6 and 7 are from Paviere's "The Devis Family of Painters" (With thanks to Nick Cox of Period Portraits)
VERSO: two old handwritten labels, one described above, the other inscribed 'Property of Hugh Shore'. A modern label inscribed 'Lady Teignmouth'.
This is a superb portrait of the young nobleman, sensitive and insightful, his hair in the fashionably Byronic style. It is a fine example of the best work of Devis.
THE HONOURABLE FREDERICK JOHN SHORE, (1799-1827), 2nd son of the 1st Lord Teignmouth, Governor General of India and anti slavery campaigner.
The sitter was born in England in May 1799 and married Charlotte Mary Cornish (1800-1883), the daughter of his mother's younger brother, in January 1830. He was the author of "Indian Affairs", a noted political treatise, whilst an employee of the East India Company.
At this time the East India Company ruled large areas of India with its own private armies, exercising military power and assuming administrative functions.
Company rule in India effectively began in 1757 and lasted until 1858 when, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Government of India Act 1858 led to the British Crown assuming direct control of India in the form of the new British Raj.
An old handwritten label verso informs us that Frederick was killed "at the storming of a Robber Fort in India" two days before his 38th birthday.
His wife bore him three children, Louisa Sara, Arthur Frederick and Clara Maria.
ARTHUR WILLIAM DEVIS (1762 - 1822). Devis was the son of Arthur Devis, a successful portrait painter. Devis enrolled at the Royal Academy Schools at the age of twelve and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1775. In 1782, he embarked aboard the Antelope for a voyage to the East Indies, in the capacity of draughtsman. The ship was wrecked and Devis and the crew were stranded for a year on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. After a series of extraordinary adventures, during which he took part in the wars of the natives on a neighbouring island and received two arrow wounds, Devis arrived in India, where he settled for ten years, establishing a successful practice as a painter of portraits and local scenes. He attracted the attention of Sir William Jones, Lord Cornwallis and General Harris. He returned to England in 1795, concentrating mainly on painting portraits and a few notable history subjects. Perhaps his best known painting is the famous "Death of Nelson".
SIZE: 39 x 34.25 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: By descent in the family of the sitter.
Images 6 and 7 are from Paviere's "The Devis Family of Painters" (With thanks to Nick Cox of Period Portraits)
VERSO: two old handwritten labels, one described above, the other inscribed 'Property of Hugh Shore'. A modern label inscribed 'Lady Teignmouth'.
£11,750
| $15,645 USD | €13,314 EUR
Pair of Portraits of Sir Neville and ...
Item Ref
9078
A pair of oils on canvas in good carved and giltwood frames. These were probably the marriage portraits of Sir Neville and his first wife Dorothea.
Sir Nevill(e) Catlin, sometimes written Catlyn or Catelyn or Catline, was an English landowner and politician from a Norfolk family long active in local and national affairs. Baptised on 3 March 1634, he was the eldest surviving son of landowner and politician Richard Catlin (1583 – 1662) of Kirby Cane and his second wife Dorothy (1605 – 1672), daughter of landowner and politician Sir Henry Nevill of Billingbear and his wife Anne, daughter of Henry Killigrew. His father, who supported the King in the English Civil War, had been disabled from sitting in Parliament in 1644 and suffered sequestration of his estate, but was discharged without fine in 1647. His older half-brother Thomas Catlin died fighting for the Royalist side in the Second Battle of Newbury in 1644 . In 1650, he entered King's College, Cambridge.
In 1658 in London he married his first wife Dorothea, daughter of the judge and politician Sir Thomas Bedingfield and his wife Elizabeth. After her early death he married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Houghton of Ranworth and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Corbet, 1st Baronet, of Sprowston, but she died in 1681. His third marriage was to Mary, sister of Sir Charles Blois, 1st Baronet and daughter of Sir William Blois of Grundisburgh and his first wife Martha. In the first two marriages there were three sons and a daughter, but none lived long.
At the Restoration in 1660 he joined the Norfolk militia, initially as a captain of cavalry and rising later to major. In 1661 he was appointed a commissioner for tax assessment for both Norfolk and Suffolk and in 1662 when he inherited the estates of Kirby Cane and Wingfield Castle on the death of his father, he was knighted. In 1668 he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Norfolk and in 1680 for Suffolk as well, adding the rank of Deputy Lieutenant for Norfolk in 1676 and Suffolk in 1680.
In the 1685 general election he was unopposed as one of the two members for the city of Norwich and was listed among the opposition to the supporters of the Catholic King, James II. Unsympathetic to the political ambitions of the Catholic party, he opposed the repeal of the penal laws against Catholics and dissenters but was not against some relaxation. As an opponent of the King's absolute rule, he was stripped of his local offices, and when these were restored in October 1688 he refused to sit next to Catholic office holders. In the Convention Parliament of 1689 he was fairly active, being appointed to 15 committees.
He did not stand in the 1690 general election, retiring from national politics. Dying in July 1702, at Wingfield Castle, he was buried at Kirby Cane and succeeded by his younger brother Richard Catlin V.
JOHN HAYLS (1600-1679) also Hailes, was an English Baroque-era portrait painter, principally known for his portrait of Samuel Pepys. Hayls was a contemporary and rival of Sir Peter Lely and Samuel Cooper.
Pepys was so pleased with his wife's portrait, that he commissioned a portrait of himself and also persuaded his father Thomas Pepys to sit for the artist. Pepys also mentioned that Hayls painted the actor Joseph Harris as Henry V.
Hayls also painted portraits of Colonel John Russell (third son of Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford), Lady Diana Russell, and the poet Thomas Flatman. He was known as a good copyist of the works of Van Dyck. He lived in Southampton Street, Bloomsbury, London, for some years, but then moved to a house in Long Acre, where he died suddenly in 1679.
SIZE: 35.5 x 30.5 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Wingfield Castle, Sussex, then by descent to the Lords Berners of Ashwellthorpe Hall, thence to Faringdon House. (see last image).
Sir Nevill(e) Catlin, sometimes written Catlyn or Catelyn or Catline, was an English landowner and politician from a Norfolk family long active in local and national affairs. Baptised on 3 March 1634, he was the eldest surviving son of landowner and politician Richard Catlin (1583 – 1662) of Kirby Cane and his second wife Dorothy (1605 – 1672), daughter of landowner and politician Sir Henry Nevill of Billingbear and his wife Anne, daughter of Henry Killigrew. His father, who supported the King in the English Civil War, had been disabled from sitting in Parliament in 1644 and suffered sequestration of his estate, but was discharged without fine in 1647. His older half-brother Thomas Catlin died fighting for the Royalist side in the Second Battle of Newbury in 1644 . In 1650, he entered King's College, Cambridge.
In 1658 in London he married his first wife Dorothea, daughter of the judge and politician Sir Thomas Bedingfield and his wife Elizabeth. After her early death he married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Houghton of Ranworth and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Corbet, 1st Baronet, of Sprowston, but she died in 1681. His third marriage was to Mary, sister of Sir Charles Blois, 1st Baronet and daughter of Sir William Blois of Grundisburgh and his first wife Martha. In the first two marriages there were three sons and a daughter, but none lived long.
At the Restoration in 1660 he joined the Norfolk militia, initially as a captain of cavalry and rising later to major. In 1661 he was appointed a commissioner for tax assessment for both Norfolk and Suffolk and in 1662 when he inherited the estates of Kirby Cane and Wingfield Castle on the death of his father, he was knighted. In 1668 he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Norfolk and in 1680 for Suffolk as well, adding the rank of Deputy Lieutenant for Norfolk in 1676 and Suffolk in 1680.
In the 1685 general election he was unopposed as one of the two members for the city of Norwich and was listed among the opposition to the supporters of the Catholic King, James II. Unsympathetic to the political ambitions of the Catholic party, he opposed the repeal of the penal laws against Catholics and dissenters but was not against some relaxation. As an opponent of the King's absolute rule, he was stripped of his local offices, and when these were restored in October 1688 he refused to sit next to Catholic office holders. In the Convention Parliament of 1689 he was fairly active, being appointed to 15 committees.
He did not stand in the 1690 general election, retiring from national politics. Dying in July 1702, at Wingfield Castle, he was buried at Kirby Cane and succeeded by his younger brother Richard Catlin V.
JOHN HAYLS (1600-1679) also Hailes, was an English Baroque-era portrait painter, principally known for his portrait of Samuel Pepys. Hayls was a contemporary and rival of Sir Peter Lely and Samuel Cooper.
Pepys was so pleased with his wife's portrait, that he commissioned a portrait of himself and also persuaded his father Thomas Pepys to sit for the artist. Pepys also mentioned that Hayls painted the actor Joseph Harris as Henry V.
Hayls also painted portraits of Colonel John Russell (third son of Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford), Lady Diana Russell, and the poet Thomas Flatman. He was known as a good copyist of the works of Van Dyck. He lived in Southampton Street, Bloomsbury, London, for some years, but then moved to a house in Long Acre, where he died suddenly in 1679.
SIZE: 35.5 x 30.5 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Wingfield Castle, Sussex, then by descent to the Lords Berners of Ashwellthorpe Hall, thence to Faringdon House. (see last image).
£11,650
| $15,512 USD | €13,200 EUR
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