Portrait of Sir John Cheke (1514-1557), half-length, in black with a fur collar, holding a letter and gloves

Details

CIRCLE OF GERLACH FLICKE (OSNABRÜCK C. 1495-1558 LONDON)
Portrait of Sir John Cheke (1514-1557), half-length, in black with a fur collar, holding a letter and gloves
oil on panel
41 3⁄8 x 31 in. (105 x 78.8 cm.)
with identifying inscription 'S^r. John Cheek Preceptor / to King Edward the Sixth' (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

(Presumably) by descent in the Cheke family to the sitter's great-great grandaughter,
Anne, Lady Tipping, née Cheke (1678-1728), and by descent to her daughter,
Letitia Tipping (1699-1779), wife of Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys (1695-1770), and by descent to their son,
Edwin Sandys, 2nd Baron Sandys (1726-1797), and by inheritance to his niece,
Mary, Marchioness of Downshire and 1st Baroness Sandys (1764-1836), and by descent to her second son,
Lieutenant-General Arthur Hill, 2nd Baron Sandys (1792-1860), and by inheritance to his younger brother,
Arthur Marcus Sandys, 3rd Baron Sandys (1798-1863), and by descent in the family to,
Richard Hill, 7th Baron Sandys (1931-2013), Ombersley Court, Worcestershire.

Literature

J. Strype, The Life of the Learned Sir John Cheke, London, 1705, frontispiece, where described as in the possession of the Dowager Marchioness of Downshire.
T.R. Nash, Collections for the History of Worcestershire, London, 1781-2, II, p. 223, where listed in the Dining Parlor.
J. Grego, Inventory of Pictures: Portraits, Paintings, etc., Ombersley MS., 1905, where listed in the Grand Staircase.
ONM / 1 / 2 / 7, journal entry for a visit to Ombersley Court, 25 August 1950, Oliver Millar Archive, Paul Mellon Centre, London, p. 21.
A. Oswald, 'Ombersley Court, Worcestershire - II', Country Life, 9 January 1953, pp. 94 and 96, pl. 5, where listed in the Library.
Ombersley Court Inventory, June 1963, annotated Ombersley MS., as 'English School', where listed in the Study.
R. Strong, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits, London, 1969, I, pp. 48-49, II, pl. 86.
Ombersley Court Catalogue of Pictures, undated, Ombersley MS., p. 36, as 'Zucchero (Guillem Streets?)', where listed in the Main Staircase.

Engraved

J. Fittler, 1705.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Adrian Hume-Sayer Director, Specialist

Lot Essay

Sir John Cheke was instrumental in restoring Greek learning in England, prompting King Henry VIII to make him the first Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge and John Milton to credit him as having 'taught Cambridge and King Edward Greek'. Cheke was knighted in 1552 and appointed provost of King's College, Cambridge under King Edward VI, whom he had previously tutored as a child. He embraced Reformist policies, publishing on, and contributing to, the reform of Church governance laws. Under Edward VI, Cheke rose to be a Privy Councillor and Secretary of State, but his life changed following the accession of Queen Mary I. From July 1553 to September 1554, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London due to his religious beliefs. Fearing further persecution, he sought exile abroad. Cheke was taken captive in Belgium in 1556, imprisoned again, and under duress, forced to renounce his Protestant faith.

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