Lot 1

Robert David Lion Gardiner and The Manor House, Gardiner's Island, Harvey Weber, photo Property from the Estate of Robert D.L. Gardiner (Lots 1-20 and 162) The Gardiner family name is synonymous with the history of Long Island and Colonial New York. Remarkably, for 365 years, generations of Gardiners have held claim to the 3,350 acres of land known as Gardiner's Island, located at the eastern end of Long Island, New York. The story begins with Lion Gardiner (1599-1663), who purchased the island in 1639 from the Algonquian Indians for a gun, gunpowder, cloth and "a large black dog." Ownership of the island and its establishment as Lordship and manor was confirmed by a patent in 1686 from New York's Governer Dongan, acting on behalf of Charles I. Although Gardiner's Island became part of the State of New York following the American Revolution, the title "Lord of the Manor", continued to be used in the community of East Hampton. Regardless of their regal title, the Gardiner family were an important, supportive and integral component of the East Hampton community. Lion Gardiner was born in England near Maidstone and possibly on the Isle of Wight. Serving in the English army, he gained recognition during his time in the Netherlands as an engineer and fort builder. In 1635 he accepted employment by English Lord's Say and Brook, to help start a small colony in Connecticut. Fort Saybrook became a focal point in this small community as well as the tinderbox that set off a brutal war between English settlers and the Pequot Indians. In the aftermath, with the English colonists victorious, Gardiner sought a quiet retreat across Long Island Sound to a beautiful island that reminded him of the Isle of Wight, and which he originally gave the same name. Eventually, however, it became known as Gardiner's Island. This group of pictures (lots 1-20 and 162) comes from the estate of Robert David Lion Gardiner (1911-2004). He liked to refer to himself as the "16th Lord of the Manor", and devoted much of his time to preserving and promoting the important Gardiner family heritage. Additionally, he was a staunch supporter of Long Island's history, and shortly before his death, he arranged a sale of an important family home, Sagtikos Manor, and the donation of its contents, to Suffolk County, New York. In his estate, he has set up a foundation to fund research and scholarships in Long Island history at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Additional property from the Estate of Robert D.L. Gardiner will be offered in the House Sale on March 1-2.

After Sir Anthony van Dyck

Portrait of Charles I, standing three-quarter length

Details

After Sir Anthony van Dyck
Portrait of Charles I, standing three-quarter length
oil on canvas
45½ x 37 in. (115.5 x 94 cm.)

Sale room notice

Please note this lot will be offered without reserve.

Lot Essay

The original portrait by van Dyck was painted as a pendant to the portrait of Henrietta Maria in the Loyd Collection, the whereabouts of the portrait of the King is not known. (See S.J. Barnes, N. de Poorter, O. Millar and H. Vey, Van Dyck: a complete catalogue of the paintings, New Haven, 2004, p.631, no.IV.A8, for an illustration of another known copy).

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