Physical description
Poirtrait, head and shoulders, turned slightly to left and looking to front. Features in a strong, free hatch of brown and sanguine, with some blue-grey shadow and white, blended over a pale carnation ground; hair in brown wash, lined in darker colour with some gouache for the lights; dress in opaque brown washes with gold decoration; the chemise in white and grey and the pearls in grey with white highlights; the landscape background in opaque washes of blue and green, the curtain in opaque grey; on vellum put down on a leaf from a table-book.
Frame
Seventeenth-century oval gold locket, much mutilated but originally probably a bracelet; the back almost concave and perhaps intended to be enamelled; the sides show file marks and the remains of old solder, and apparently the remains of old bracelet fittings; at the front, the sides are rolled over into a bezel to retain the shallowly convex glass. A label stuck to the back is inscribed:
Place of Origin
England, Great Britain (painted)
Date
1653-1655 (painted)
Artist/maker
Cooper, Samuel, born 1603 - died 1672 (artist)
Materials and Techniques
Watercolour on vellum, put down on a leaf from a table book
Marks and inscriptions
'SC'
Dimensions
Height: 33 mm, Width: 28 mm, Depth: 0.3 cm
Object history note
Provenance: The Barons Bayning of Foxley, of Honingham Hall, Norfolk; presumably the 3rd and last, who married Emma, daughter of W H Fellowes of Romsey Abbey in 1842; acquired probably after Lord Bayning's death in 1866 by the Hon. Ailwyn Edward Fellowes (1855-1924), subsequently Baron Ailwyn; acquired by the Hon. F H A Wallop (either as a family gift or bequest, or by purchase in 1925 when the Dowager was selling other pictures, e.g., Christie's 17 July 1925) and lent to the Museum from 1927-49; given to Alan Evans, 1933, by whom bequeathed to the National Gallery, 1974; placed on indeterminate loan at the V&A. (See Appendix 3.)
Descriptive line
Portrait miniature woman, possibly Elizabeth, Mrs. Claypole, second daughter of Oliver Cromwell, watercolour on vellum, painted by Samuel Cooper, 1653-1655.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Murdoch, John. Seventeenth-century English Miniatures in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: The Stationery Office, 1997.
Cat. 74, pp.139-140. Full Citation:
“74 A Woman, possibly Elizabeth, Mrs Claypole, second daughter of Oliver Cromwell
(b.1629 d.1658)
1653-5
Evans 9
Oval 33 x 28 mm
Features in a strong, free hatch of brown and sanguine, with some blue-grey shadow and white, blended over a pale carnation ground; hair in brown wash, lined in darker colour with some gouache for the lights; dress in opaque brown washes with gold decoration; the chemise in white and grey and the pearls in grey with white highlights; the landscape background in opaque washes of blue and green, the curtain in opaque grey; on vellum put down on a leaf from a table-book.
Condition: Apparently pristine.
Signed: Upper centre right, in gold: SC.
Frame: Seventeenth-century oval gold locket, much mutilated but originally probably a bracelet; the back almost concave and perhaps intended to be enamelled; the sides show file marks and the remains of old solder, and apparently the remains of old bracelet fittings; at the front, the sides are rolled over into a bezel to retain the shallowly convex glass. A label stuck to the back is inscribed: Hon.A.Fellowes.
Provenance: The Barons Bayning of Foxley, of Honingham Hall, Norfolk; presumably the 3rd and last, who married Emma, daughter of W H Fellowes of Romsey Abbey in 1842; acquired probably after Lord Bayning's death in 1866 by the Hon. Ailwyn Edward Fellowes (1855-1924), subsequently Baron Ailwyn; acquired by the Hon. F H A Wallop (either as a family gift or bequest, or by purchase in 1925 when the Dowager was selling other pictures, e.g., Christie's 17 July 1925) and lent to the Museum from 1927-49; given to Alan Evans, 1933, by whom bequeathed to the National Gallery, 1974; placed on indeterminate loan at the V&A. (See Appendix 3.)
Exhibited: V&A, Treasures of the Print Room: Recent Acquisitions 1973-7, unnumbered; New Haven etc. 1981-2, no. 44 (as Unknown Woman).
Literature: Murdoch 1981, p. 110, and pl. 22b; Summary Catalogue, 1981, p. 10.
When acquired by Wallop, this portrait was believed to represent Jane, daughter of Viscount Savage, and first wife of John, 5th Marquis of Winchester. She was born in 1596 and died in April 1631 - clearly at least twenty years before this portrait was painted.
Basil Long was the first to recognise the connection with the Elizabeth Claypole at Chequers. He wrote to Wallop: 'Your little miniature by Cooper ... is virtually a replica, with slight differences, of the miniature by Cooper called "Mrs Elizabeth Claypole",' (1) In fact Wallop's miniature is undoubtedly the finer version, and would thus normally be presumed to be the prime portrait from the life.
The iconography of Elizabeth Claypole, the second (and favourite) daughter of Oliver Cromwell, is confused, and many conflicting likenesses have been attached to her name. There is no absolutely unquestionable portrait of her. The image by Michael Wright of 1658 in the NPG, which has a provenance believed to be from Mrs Claypole herself, depends, according to Piper, partly for its authority on the Cooper miniature of 1653 in the Buccleuch Collection. (2) The latter depends Similarly on a tradition of descent from Mrs Claypole, and Piper refers to it as 'the generally accepted key portrait'. Mrs Foskett, however, pointed out in the Cooper exhibition catalogue that the sitter for the miniature had been 'identified as either Frances Cromwell, Lady Russell, or her sister Elizabeth' - an expression of doubt explicitly singled out by Oliver Millar for approval.(3) Nonetheless, the 1653 Cooper and the 1658 Wright images do have a marked resemblance to one another, and in both cases the identification appears to be of respectable antiquity. In combination they provide reasonable evidence for Elizabeth Claypole's appearance in the last five years of her life. On this basis it is credible that the Wallop-Chequers type could be an intermediate likeness of c.1655. (4)
Samuel Cooper introduced the form of signature used here - the interlaced initials -in 1653.The earlier appearance of this 'monogram' in 1650 on the portrait of Grace Pierpont, Lady Manners (5) is an isolated and unexplained exception to the rule.
1 6 March 1933, copy of letter in Museum records. Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham, with his wife formed the collections at Chequers, and in 1921 presented the house and its contents in trust to the nation as a residence for Prime Ministers of Great Britain.
2 NPG 1974, no.41.
3 Millar 1974, p. 346.
4 Malcolm Rogers (personal communication, 1993) doubts the Claypole identification, and comments 'closer to Mary Fairfax, Duchess of Buckingham' .
5 Duke of Rutland Collection.”
Exhibition History
The English Miniature (Yale Center for British Art 1981-1982)
Labels and date
British Galleries:
Elizabeth Claypole (1629-1658) was the second daughter of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell required portraits for propagandist and diplomatic roles, as the royal family had done. Cooper painted several members of the Cromwell family after 1650. [27/03/2003]
Materials
Watercolour; Vellum
Techniques
Painting
Subjects depicted
Pearls; Elizabeth Claypole
Categories
British Galleries; Portraits; Paintings
Production Type
Unique
Collection code
PDP
