Portrait of King Charles I (1600-1649), half-length, at his trial, seated in a red velvet chair, wearing the garter, sash and star of the Order of the Garter

Details

AFTER EDWARD BOWER
Portrait of King Charles I (1600-1649), half-length, at his trial, seated in a red velvet chair, wearing the garter, sash and star of the Order of the Garter
oil on canvas
88 ¼ x 52 ¾ in. (224.2 x 133.9 cm.)
with identifying inscription 'Charles the 1^st/ Painted during his trial' (lower left)

Please note that 100% of the hammer proceeds from this auction will be paid to the Sandys Trust, registered charity number: 1168357, with the exception of limited deductions towards sale costs across the auction which cannot be accurately calculated at this time, capped at a total of £10,000.

Provenance

By descent to Richard Hill, 7th Baron Sandys (1931-2013), Ombersley Court, Worcestershire.

Literature

J. Grego, Inventory of Pictures: Portraits, Paintings, etc., Ombersley MS., 1905, where listed in the Great Hall.
ONM / 1 / 2 / 7, journal entry for a visit to Ombersley Court, 25 August 1950, Oliver Millar Archive, Paul Mellon Centre, London, p. 23.
Ombersley Court Inventory, annotated Ombersley MS., June 1963, where listed in the Grand Hall.
O. Millar, Tudor, Stuart and Early Georgian Pictures in the Royal Collection, London, 1963, I, p. 114, under no. 208.
Ombersley Court Catalogue of Pictures, undated, Ombersley MS., p. 8, where listed in the Central Hall.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Adrian Hume-Sayer Director, Specialist

Lot Essay

In January 1649, the king was on trial for his life in the Great Hall at the Palace of Westminster. Edward Bower attended the trial and made several drawings which he later worked up into paintings in his studio. Signed and dated three-quarter-length portraits of the subject by Bower are at Belvoir Castle, Antony, Cornwall and in the Royal Collection, with slight variations in the position of the king's hands and expression. The present painting relates most closely to the portrait in the Royal Collection (RCIN 405913) and appears to have been extended to a full-length from similar original dimensions.

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