Oil painting, 'Charles I', after Daniel Mytens (I), 17th century

Purchased, 1892

Purchased from the sale of ‘Antique Furniture, Oak Cabinets, Curios, China, Pictures, Coins, &c., collected by Edward Peacock, Esq., F.S.A.’ held by Messrs. Spring and Son at Bottesford Manor, near Brigg, Lincolnshire, Wednesday, June 1st, 1892. Lot 23, ‘Small oil painting of Charles I’, for £5-5-0. According to Nominal File (E. Peacock) this painting and three others (museum nos. 533, 534, 535, 536-1892) were acquired as ‘Costume Pictures’. Edward Peacock F.S.A (1831-1915) was then owner of Bottesford Manor.

A newspaper report from 1868 recounts a visit to Edward Peacock’s collection of antiquities, noting a portrait of Charles I attributed to "Jansens," a reference to the artist Hieronymus Janssens. The newspaper article refers to the painting of Charles II that Peacock later donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Janssens, an Antwerp-born artist celebrated for his conversation pieces, excelled in portraying social gatherings and dance scenes. Among his works is a notable painting depicting King Charles II of England dancing with his sister, Mary of Orange, at a ball in The Hague during his exile. However, it remains uncertain whether Janssens ever painted independent portraits of Charles II, including this one.

535-1892