Follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck
THE PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE COLLECTION (lots 22, 46 & 54)
Follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck

Portrait of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1593-1641), three-quarter-length, in armour holding a baton, his helmet on a draped table and a curtain behind

Details
Follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck
Portrait of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1593-1641), three-quarter-length, in armour holding a baton, his helmet on a draped table and a curtain behind
oil on canvas
49½ x 39½ in. (125.7 x 100.3 cm.)
Provenance
Listed in an inventory at Oulton Park, 1732, and by descent to
Air John Grey-Egerton, Bt.; Christie's, London, 11 November 1994, lot 3, as 'Studio of Sir Anthony van Dyck' (£13,800).
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 30 June 2005, lot 16 (£16,800).

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Lot Essay

Thomas Wentworth commissioned three portraits from van Dyck. The first was done before his departure to Ireland in 1633. The second, of which there are two autograph versions in Petworth and Welbeck Abbey and which relates to the present lot, was painted on his return from Ireland in 1636. The final portrait, probably painted in 1640, shows him with his secretary Sir Philip Mainwaring and coincides with his creation as first Earl of Stafford.
Upon his return to England from Ireland in 1639, Stafford became the principal adviser to King Charles I. Perceived as a tyrannical figure who came to embody the powers of absolute monarchy, Stafford became a scapegoat for the nation's grievances. The Long Parliament of 1640 called for his impeachment, but Stafford defended himself so ably that a bill of attainder had to be passed. Charles I succumbed to the clamour for Stafford's execution and consented to the bill. Stafford was beheaded on Tower Hill in 1641.

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