Court versus Parliament 1640–1720

William Dobson, Portrait of the Artist’s Wife  c.1635–40

Dobson was considered to be one of the best English artists of his time. He was the court painter for King Charles I. Dobson married Judith Sanders, his second wife, in December 1637. This portrait of her is one of his earliest known works. This portrait is a domestic, informal image of his new wife. Probably the result of mainly one sitting, Judith’s direct gaze is fixed on her husband as he paints her.

Gallery label, May 2019

Anne Killigrew, A Lady as Venus, Mourning Adonis  c.1682–5

This small-scale oil painting shows a lady in contemporary seventeenth-century dress, although the setting suggests a pastoral arcadia. Her air is melancholic, a mood which the landscape echoes, as darkness begins to close over the river winding into the distance. Rather than a portrait, the painting seems to present a lady in the guise of the classical goddess Venus, shown seated at the foot of the monument to her dead lover, Adonis, whom she mourns. The painting has been cut down slightly, and originally would have extended further to the right, but symbolism pertinent to Adonis can clearly be seen: the sculpted frieze, with its martial symbolism of a helmet, sword and shield; and small, red anemones growing at the base of the steps. According to myth, these flowers were created from Adonis’s spilled blood after his mortal wounding by a wild boar.

William Dobson, Endymion Porter  c.1642–5

Endymion Porter was a favourite courtier of Charles I, for whom he bought works of art. He is shown here as a huntsman with his kill, a possible reference to the ongoing Civil War. His patronage of the arts is indicated by the statue of Apollo and the classical frieze he is leaning on. Dobson painted this portrait at the exiled court of Charles in Oxford. The pose is taken from a portrait of the Roman Emperor Vespasian by Titian, which was then in Charles I’s collection. Porter was later forced into exile in France.

Gallery label, July 2024

Edward Collier, Still Life  1699

This is a ‘vanitas’ still life, a genre of painting originating in the Netherlands where the objects symbolise the passing of time and the inevitability of death. The Latin motto on the left translates as ‘life is short but art endures’. The snuffed-out candle is a literal allusion to death. The globe and the book with a description of the world indicate pursuits of knowledge and discovery. The globe shows the Pacific Ocean, an area Europe was actively colonising at the time. This may allude to the transient or limited nature of imperial ambitions.

Gallery label, July 2024

John Michael Wright, Sir Neil O’Neill  1680

Both Sir Neil O’Neill and John Michael Wright were Roman Catholics. As a result of anti-Catholic legislation, Wright was exiled from London to Dublin in 1679, where this work was painted. Sir Neil is shown in the richly ornamented costume of an Irish chieftain. Beside him is an Irish wolfhound, a valuable breed of dog whose export from Ireland was forbidden. At his feet is a rare suit of Japanese armour. This may symbolise triumph over persecutors of Catholicism. The Japanese were notorious for their persecution of the Catholic missionaries in Japan at this time.

Gallery label, July 2024

Francis Barlow, Monkeys and Dogs Playing  1661

Francis Barlow is the earliest known British-born animal painter. During his lifetime animal paintings were still largely associated with decorative arts and the interior design of houses. This painting, like many animal pictures, was probably produced to hang over a door. The spaniels shown here may be portraits of particular dogs, so the painting may have been commissioned by their owner. Wealthy British families also kept non-native animals, which they perceived as status symbols. The brown or tufted capuchin monkeys, from South America, may be intended to highlight the patron’s cultivated affluence.

Gallery label, July 2024

Marmaduke Cradock, A Peacock and Other Birds in a Landscape  c.1700

Marmaduke Cradock was one of the few British-born painters of birds and animals active in the late-17th century. This composition of turkeys, rock doves, a peacock and a jay shows the artist’s careful observation of birds. The calm of the dovecote is disturbed by the danger of a predatory fox. However, the central focus of the painting is the peacock, a rare bird which Cradock could have been observed in London’s royal parks. Its rich and colourful plumage speaks of wealth and opulence.

Gallery label, July 2024

Henry Anderton, Mountain Landscape with Dancing Shepherd  c.1650–60

This is one of the earliest known oil paintings of a landscape by a British artist. We know the artist had recently returned from a few years studying in Rome, where he may have been influenced by classical art. Henry Anderton was trained as an artist by Robert Streater, who was later Serjeant Painter to King Charles II. As well as landscapes, Anderton painted still-lifes and portraits. He became one of the most successful portrait painters of his time, though few of his works are known today.

Gallery label, July 2024

Nils Norman, Sparkles of Glory  2022

John James Baker, The Whig Junto  1710

This portrait shows the leaders of the political Whig party. Edward Russell, the first Earl of Orford (standing on the right) commissioned the picture. A Black boy stands on the left of the gathered guests. We don’t know his identity, or even if he was a real person. The artist likely included them in the portrait to show the wealth, status and power of the white sitters. Prints of Roman victories emphasise Britain’s military successes and a desire for empire building. The globe may refer to British interest in accessing new trading routes.

Gallery label, July 2024

Sir Peter Lely, Two Ladies of the Lake Family  c.1660

This picture is associated with the Lake family, who lived in Cannons House and estate in Middlesex. Portraits of women by Lely, like this one, tend to conform to the standards of ideal beauty which were current at court. The artist was more concerned with asserting a sense of glamour and sophistication than conveying individual personalities. The woman on the left is playing a French-made guitar, the latest fashion to arrive from Paris. Lely was the leading portrait painter of his generation, Principal Painter to Charles II.

Gallery label, July 2024

Mary Beale, Portrait of a Young Girl  c.1681

Mary Beale was the most prolific professional woman portrait painter working in England in the 17th century. She had a large, recorded body of work. This engagingly informal oil sketch was probably an experiment in attempting to finish a work quickly, rather than the more costly and time-consuming four or five hours normally spent on a standard portrait. Mary Beale used members of her family and studio as models for such works. In 1681, for example, her female studio assistant and her godchild were painted ‘in side face’, as here.

Gallery label, July 2024

Joan Carlile, Portrait of an Unknown Lady  1650–5

Joan Carlile was one of the earliest woman artists to work professionally in oil painting in Britain. Her husband, Lodowick Carlile (or Carlell), was a courtier to Charles I and held the position of Keeper of the Great Forest at Richmond Park. They lived at Petersham Lodge, Richmond, before moving to Covent Garden, London, the heart of the artistic community. This is one of about ten paintings we know are painted by Carlile. She placed a full-length female figure in a landscape in other compositions too, suggesting she used a template for greater artistic production.

Gallery label, July 2024

John Riley, James Sotheby  c.1690

James Sotheby was the son of a wealthy haberdashery merchant. He lived in Hatton Garden, London, but owned various properties, including a house in Hackney (then a country village east of London) and country estate at Sewardstone, Essex. He was a noted collector of books, manuscripts, paintings and miniatures. In 1674 he married Anne Robinson, a rich heiress. Her godfather was Sir Nicholas Crispe, who led English trade with west Africa, which included the trafficking of enslaved people. John Riley became the leading painter to the king after the death of Peter Lely in 1680.

Gallery label, July 2024

Jan Siberechts, Landscape with Rainbow, Henley-on-Thames  c.1690

Jan Siberechts may have produced this painting for a landowner to display his ownership and wealth. It also shows an interest in nature and the effects of the weather. The figures to the left, pulling the barge along the River Thames, remind us that this is a working landscape, and that waterways were vital for the transportation of food and goods to and from urban centres. Siberechts specialised in ‘birds-eye’ views of the landscape, often centred on an important country house.

Gallery label, July 2024

Edward Collier, A Trompe l’Oeil of Newspapers, Letters and Writing Implements on a Wooden Board  c.1699

Edward Coller was noted for his ‘trompe l’oeil’ pictures, meaning to ‘trick the eye’. They create the illusion of real, graspable objects. The letter rack with newspapers, writing implements, seals and combs was one of Collier’s favourite subjects. He painted many variations of it with similar objects slightly differently arranged. The picture is undated but a clue is given by the folded London newspaper at the top, which is dated ‘Monday, May 15’. The only likely Monday to fall on this date was in 1699.

Gallery label, August 2024

Sir Godfrey Kneller, John Smith, Speaker of the House of Commons  c.1707–8

John Smith (c.1655–1725) was an eminent Whig politician. He was re-elected as Speaker of the House of Commons in 1707. That year he helped pass laws that forged the union of England and Scotland, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Godfrey Kneller shows him in his Speaker’s robes, the mace and chair behind him, holding a scroll inscribed ‘The Union Act’. German-born, Kneller was the most successful and prolific portraitist of his day. Principal Painter from 1688, he was made 1st Baronet in 1715.

Gallery label, July 2024

Sir James Thornhill, The Apotheosis of Romulus: Sketch for a Ceiling Decoration, Possibly for Hewell Grange, Worcestershire  c.1710

This is probably part of a decorative scheme for Hewell Grange, the seat of the Earl of Plymouth. The story of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, was a favourite subject for wealthy stately-home owners. They prided themselves on their classical learning, seeing parallels between 18th-century Britain and the rise of the Roman Empire. As the only successful British decorative painter, James Thornhill catered wholeheartedly for this taste. He played on national pride in an effort to beat competition from foreign-born artists.

Gallery label, July 2024

Mary Beale, Charles Beale  c.1680–5

Mary Beale was the first British professional woman artist with a successful career as a portrait painter. This portrait is of her husband, Charles. He kept a series of notebooks which tell of his affectionate support of his wife and his pride in her achievement. Charles managed Mary’s studio, which from 1671 was in Pall Mall, central London. He would buy the materials, prepare canvases and mix pigments. Mary would often use her family as models and painted Charles on several occasions.

Gallery label, July 2024