English School (mid-17th century)

English School (mid-17th century)
Portrait of King Charles I (1600-1649) with Sir Edward Walker (1612-1677)
oil on canvas
62 x 75.5cm

Provenance:
Sir Edward Walker (1612-1677),
By descent to Michael Woodhull (1740-1816), book collector and translator, of Thenford House,
Thence by descent at Thenford House until the 1930s (when the house was sold);
With Philip Mould Ltd, where acquired by the present vendor in 2013

The present picture is a significant and intriguing example of visual imagery produced in 17^th century England in support of the Royalist cause.

Sir Edward Walker was in almost constant attendance to King Charles I during the Civil War and is depicted here as the King’s Secretary at War, a post he would continue to hold under Charles II in exile. In the present scene, Charles I appears to be dictating dispatches.

A more sizeable version of the composition, by an anonymous hand, exists in the National Portrait Gallery, London (NPG 1961). However, rather than being a direct copy of the larger work, the present portrait has a number of subtle compositional differences, principally to the background, which suggest a degree of original thought by its similarly unknown but talented artist.

Indeed, whilst the background of the NPG’s version possibly represents a military skirmish before Winchester, the architecture in the present picture appears to be that of Windsor Castle. Windsor was captured by the Parliamentarians in 1642 and used a base for Royalist prisoners, including Charles I, who was subsequently interred there without ceremony following his execution.

In 1660, the year of the Restoration, Charles II returned determined to establish Windsor as his principal country residence and a symbol of the restoration of the monarchy itself. Sir Edward Walker returned alongside the King, having been ever present throughout his exile, with the highest personal prestige. It is therefore possible that this work was painted to symbolise his loyalty to the restored monarchy. The fact that the painting was owned by Sir Edward Walker himself is indicative of its importance as a piece of Royalist iconography.

Stylistically the picture is close to the artist Remigius van Leemput (1607-1675), who is known to have been commissioned by Charles II, with his figures often deriving from earlier compositions.

Condition Report

The painting is executed in oil on a canvas support which has been lined. The tension is good and the picture is in plane. The paint layers are in a good, stable condition overall. There is some wear and abrasion present in the thinner paint passages. There are numerous small, scattered areas of retouching across the surface which are finely done and well matched to the original. The varnish is clear, even and semi-matte.