Margaret Hewitt, Lady Paston
Print
1659 (printed)
1659 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This print is an engraving, an image made by cutting lines into the surface of a flat piece of metal, inking the plate and then transferring the ink held in the lines onto a sheet of paper.
People
This print is of Margaret Hewitt, second wife of Sir William Paston (possibly 1610-1663), the subject of the accompanying print. They married in 1641. Margaret was stepmother to the six children from Sir William's previous marriage to Lady Katherine Bertie, daughter of the Earl of Lindsey. Lady Katherine died in 1637, shortly after the birth of her sixth child.
Lady Paston's dress is simple but fashionable. She is wearing a pearl necklace and earrings, the favoured jewel of the time. The plain bodice of her dress is enhanced by sleeves of rich fabric with jewelled clasps. Her hair is arranged in soft, shoulder-length ringlets, a popular style in fashionable circles.
This flattering and glamorous portrait of Lady Paston belies the experiences that she and so many men and women of her generation underwent during the English Civil War of 1642-1646. In March 1643 Sir William Paston had crossed over to The Netherlands to join a group of Royalist East Anglian gentlemen. Lady Paston remained in the family home at Oxnead Hall, Norfolk. In June of the same year Parliament confiscated the Paston estates because of Sir William's defection. This confiscation (or sequestration, as it was called) of Royalist estates and rents left the wives and children of Royalist supporters completely destitute. In August 1643 Parliament passed a decree for the benefit of these dependants, setting aside a special sum of one- fifth of the sequestered income. Lady Paston received £1,119. Her troubles, however, were not over. In December she gave up some of the family plate (precious metalwork) worth £1,100 to the Parliamentary cause, in return for a certificate of protection for the remainder.
This print is an engraving, an image made by cutting lines into the surface of a flat piece of metal, inking the plate and then transferring the ink held in the lines onto a sheet of paper.
People
This print is of Margaret Hewitt, second wife of Sir William Paston (possibly 1610-1663), the subject of the accompanying print. They married in 1641. Margaret was stepmother to the six children from Sir William's previous marriage to Lady Katherine Bertie, daughter of the Earl of Lindsey. Lady Katherine died in 1637, shortly after the birth of her sixth child.
Lady Paston's dress is simple but fashionable. She is wearing a pearl necklace and earrings, the favoured jewel of the time. The plain bodice of her dress is enhanced by sleeves of rich fabric with jewelled clasps. Her hair is arranged in soft, shoulder-length ringlets, a popular style in fashionable circles.
This flattering and glamorous portrait of Lady Paston belies the experiences that she and so many men and women of her generation underwent during the English Civil War of 1642-1646. In March 1643 Sir William Paston had crossed over to The Netherlands to join a group of Royalist East Anglian gentlemen. Lady Paston remained in the family home at Oxnead Hall, Norfolk. In June of the same year Parliament confiscated the Paston estates because of Sir William's defection. This confiscation (or sequestration, as it was called) of Royalist estates and rents left the wives and children of Royalist supporters completely destitute. In August 1643 Parliament passed a decree for the benefit of these dependants, setting aside a special sum of one- fifth of the sequestered income. Lady Paston received £1,119. Her troubles, however, were not over. In December she gave up some of the family plate (precious metalwork) worth £1,100 to the Parliamentary cause, in return for a certificate of protection for the remainder.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Margaret Hewitt, Lady Paston (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Engraving, ink on paper |
| Brief description | Print, portrait of Margaret Hewitt, Lady Paston, engraving by William Faithorne, 1659. |
| Physical description | Print, portrait of a woman, half-length, oval border, slightly to left and looking to front. The sitter wears a necklace of pearls. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Signed 'Guil: Faithorne Sculp:.' |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
PRINTS
Cheap prints of this period fuelled political and religious debate. The more expensive prints gathered here also suggest anxieties over threats to the established church. Religious images banned in public remained permissible between the covers of a book. Two printmakers were prominent. Hollar and his copyists recorded the topography and contemporary life of London. Faithorne, originally a Royalist, returned from banishment during the Commonwealth to make portraits of the gentry and leading scholars.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Given by Edgar Seligman |
| Summary | Object Type This print is an engraving, an image made by cutting lines into the surface of a flat piece of metal, inking the plate and then transferring the ink held in the lines onto a sheet of paper. People This print is of Margaret Hewitt, second wife of Sir William Paston (possibly 1610-1663), the subject of the accompanying print. They married in 1641. Margaret was stepmother to the six children from Sir William's previous marriage to Lady Katherine Bertie, daughter of the Earl of Lindsey. Lady Katherine died in 1637, shortly after the birth of her sixth child. Lady Paston's dress is simple but fashionable. She is wearing a pearl necklace and earrings, the favoured jewel of the time. The plain bodice of her dress is enhanced by sleeves of rich fabric with jewelled clasps. Her hair is arranged in soft, shoulder-length ringlets, a popular style in fashionable circles. This flattering and glamorous portrait of Lady Paston belies the experiences that she and so many men and women of her generation underwent during the English Civil War of 1642-1646. In March 1643 Sir William Paston had crossed over to The Netherlands to join a group of Royalist East Anglian gentlemen. Lady Paston remained in the family home at Oxnead Hall, Norfolk. In June of the same year Parliament confiscated the Paston estates because of Sir William's defection. This confiscation (or sequestration, as it was called) of Royalist estates and rents left the wives and children of Royalist supporters completely destitute. In August 1643 Parliament passed a decree for the benefit of these dependants, setting aside a special sum of one- fifth of the sequestered income. Lady Paston received £1,119. Her troubles, however, were not over. In December she gave up some of the family plate (precious metalwork) worth £1,100 to the Parliamentary cause, in return for a certificate of protection for the remainder. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.914-1960 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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