Samuel Cooper

Anonymous sale, Bonhams London, The Connoisseurs Cabinet, 7 November 2001, lot 317

Some retouching of background between the crown of the head and the top edge. Minor water damage along edge between 1 and 2 o'clock. Some scuffing of border between 4 and 8 o'clock. There is a nick to the surface on the side of his nose and a light scratch running across lid of his right eye. None of these minor points detract from the impact of this poignant portrait. For further information on this lot please contact either Mark Griffith-Jones (0207 293 5083) or Emmeline Hallmark (0207 293 5407) mark.griffithjones@sothebys.com emmeline.hallmark@sothebys.com
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Traditionally this miniature has been identified as a portrait of Sidney Godolphin. Godolphin was the son of Sir William Godolphin (d.1613) and his wife Thomasin (d.1611/2). Lord Clarendon, who wrote of Godolphin in his The Life of Edward, Earl of Clarendon (published in 1857), observing that 'the very remarkableness of his little person, made the sharpness of his wit and the composed quickness of his judgement and understanding, the more notable...'

In 1628 Godolphin was elected a Member of Parliament for Helston, but spent the succeeding twelve years travelling on the Continent. Upon his return to England in 1640, he re-entered politics and sat in the House of Commons during the Long Parliament. In the build up to the civil war he adamantly opposed military confrontation. Despite this, when the conflict erupted he joined the Royalist forces at Dartmoor. In February 1643 he was mortally wounded during a skirmish at Chagford. Godolphin was also a noted poet and several surviving manuscripts exist in the Bodleian Library, Oxford and the British Library, London. 

It has been suggested that the present work was executed circa 1642. Samuel Cooper, called the 'Prince of Limners' by John Aubrey (1626-1697), had established himself as an independent artist by this date, having studied under his uncle, John Hoskins. The present work shows the confident hand of the artist, by now a fully-fledged master, who is rightly credited with incorporating the innovations in portrait miniature painting, combining the style of Sir Anthony Van Dyck with the exhuberant traditional style of miniature painting that had existed since the reign of Henry VIII.