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Lot Essay
This double portrait depicts the last Earle of Oxford, Aubrey de Vere, with his first wife Ann Bayning. De Vere inherited his title at the age of six, when his father was mortally wounded at the Capture of Maastricht in 1632. He joined the English Regiment of the Foot and served on the continent alongside the Dutch, remaining in Holland until the end of the English Civil War. Upon his return in 1651 he joined up with like-minded Royalists and was involved in succession plots, for which he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
After the early death of his wife in 1659, at the age of just 22, he pursued the famous actress Hester Davenport, who refused his advances at first. She agreed to marry him, ending her acting career, and in 1664 gave birth to their son, Aubrey de Vere. By 1665 he began an affair with Diana Kirke, daughter of the groom of the bedchamber of Charles II, and married her in 1672. Davenport filed charges of bigamy against her husband and when the case was heard in 1686 de Vere admitted that their wedding ceremony was a sham, not preformed by a real member of the clergy. Unable to defend herself, the church court ruled in favor of de Vere and her son, now illegitimized, could no longer inherit his father's title; and so one of the oldest titles in the English peerage system came to an end.
Peter Lely likely executed this portrait in the 1650s, by which time he had established his studio practice to cope with high demand. He often made preparatory sketches as reference for the poses and draperies to be finished later, either by his own hand or by members of his studio, while his sitter's portraits were worked up from life. This methodology may explain the rather stiff poses and the lack of interaction between the sitters.
After the early death of his wife in 1659, at the age of just 22, he pursued the famous actress Hester Davenport, who refused his advances at first. She agreed to marry him, ending her acting career, and in 1664 gave birth to their son, Aubrey de Vere. By 1665 he began an affair with Diana Kirke, daughter of the groom of the bedchamber of Charles II, and married her in 1672. Davenport filed charges of bigamy against her husband and when the case was heard in 1686 de Vere admitted that their wedding ceremony was a sham, not preformed by a real member of the clergy. Unable to defend herself, the church court ruled in favor of de Vere and her son, now illegitimized, could no longer inherit his father's title; and so one of the oldest titles in the English peerage system came to an end.
Peter Lely likely executed this portrait in the 1650s, by which time he had established his studio practice to cope with high demand. He often made preparatory sketches as reference for the poses and draperies to be finished later, either by his own hand or by members of his studio, while his sitter's portraits were worked up from life. This methodology may explain the rather stiff poses and the lack of interaction between the sitters.