Sir Anthony van Dyck and Studio

By family descent until sold London, Phillips, 18th December 1984, lot 44 as studio of Van Dyck (bt. for £6,500) 

Manchester, City Museum and Art Gallery, Art Treasures Exhibition, 1857, no. 125, as Van Dyck;
London, South Kensington, National Portraits Exhibition, 1868, no. 460, as Van Dyck;
London, A. Dallas & Son, British Portraits, 10-26 July 1985, no. 2;
London, Colnaghi Gallery, The British Face, 1986, no. 3

A. W. Ward, The Electress Sophia and the Hanoverian Succession, London, 1903, Vol I, p. 60 (as by van Dyck);
'Coombe Abbey I, Warwickshire, A seat of the Earl of Craven', Country Life, Vol. XXVI, December 1909, p. 803, illustrated hanging in the Great Dining Room at Coombe Abbey;
D. Piper, Catalogue of Seventeenth Century Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery, London, 1963, p.89;
S. J. Barnes, N. De Poorter, O. Millar, H. Vey, Van Dyck, A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven 2000, p.518

STRUCTURE The canvas has a firm lining. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in good condition. There are no apparent damages or areas of loss. The paint is slightly thin in places, particularly in the background. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no apparent retouching in the flesh tones, or the body of the sitter, though there is a small amount of minor retouching in the hair and beard. There is scattered minor retouching in the background, in the upper section of the painting, and a small amount in the lower right corner. There is a slightly discoloured and dirty, opaque varnish overall. FRAME Held in a gilded plaster and wood frame. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@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."

William Craven was the son of Sir William Craven, one time Lord Mayor of London and a significant city financier, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Alderman William Whitmore. On his mother's death in 1624, he inherited a substantial fortune. He owned property both in London and in at least six counties, and in particular Coombe Abbey which his mother had bought from Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford, and where many of the Palatine pictures were later to hang.

Craven showed his enthusiasm for military exploits at an early age when he interrupted his studies at Oxford to join the army of Prince Maurice of Orange. In 1629 he travelled to the Netherlands again and in 1631, when about to join the army of Gustavus Adolphus, he was commissioned to join the Marquess of Hamilton's force which was being recruited to help liberate the Palatinate. The force linked with the Swedes at Frankfurt and Craven distinguished himself by his personal bravery at the siege of Kruznach where he was wounded. It was at this time that Craven first came into contact with Frederick of Bohemia and his wife Elizabeth, of whom he became such a loyal supporter. In 1637 he joined Charles Louis and Prince Rupert in an attempt to drive the imperial forces from the Palatinate, but the expedition was a disaster and both Prince Rupert and Craven were captured. Craven later returned to England but finally left for the continent in 1642, spending the next eighteen years largely in The Hague in the service of Elizabeth of Bohemia. Following the Civil War Craven's estates were sequestered, but at the Restoration his fortunes improved and he was able to design a new house at Hampstead Marshall with the assistance of Balthazar Gerbier and William Winde. Craven remained loyal to the Queen until her death, providing her with a London residence and running her household. On her death she left him both her papers and her Stuart and Palatine portraits which were housed at Coombe Abbey.

This imposing portrait dates from c.1640 and the composition relates very closely to the portrait of James Duke of Hamilton by van Dyck (Liechtenstein Collection, Vaduz Castle) which is fitting as Hamilton had been Craven's companion in his first military engagement on behalf of Frederick of Bohemia and his wife. The exact status of the portrait has never been established. David Piper referred to it as "a whole-length (? Of the 1640's) in the Craven collection, which corresponds exactly to van Dyck's whole-length of the Duke of Hamilton (Glück, p. 463) except for the head," and in the Complete Catalogue Raisonneé of van Dyck's Paintings Sir Oliver Millar listed the picture as an adaption "close in date" to van Dyck's portrait of Hamilton. The fine quality of the face and particularly the sitter's left hand strongly suggest that van Dyck himself worked on the portrait which was then completed by the studio. It is well documented that van Dyck's final years were extremely difficult. He was ill for the last two years of his life, and indeed in August 1641 his illness was hampering his ability to finish his last Royal commission, the portrait of Princess Mary. The combination of this illness and the political turmoil in London could explain why he would be unable to complete such an ambitious full length portrait. Craven himself had links with van Dyck not only on account of his friendship with the Duke of Hamilton, but also from his likely commission of one of the portraits of Princess Mary and his ownership of the fine studio replicas of the portraits of Princes Rupert and Charles Louis.