John de Critz the Elder

Presented by James I to Sir Edward Phelips (c.1555/60-1614) of Montacute House, Somerset;
thence by descent until sold in London, Phillips, 15th December 1987, lot 36 (bt. for £34,000)

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar who is an external restorer and not an employee of Sotheby's. UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE Structural Condition The artists panel has two vertical inserted batons on the reverse and horizontal batons on the upper and lower edges. The panel is slightly warped and should ideally be more securely fitted within the frame to accommodate the slight warp. There are fine vertical cracks, two of which run down from the upper horizontal edge with a further three running up from the lower horizontal edge. These should ideally be treated and secured. Paint Surface The paint surface has a rather uneven varnish layer and revarnishing would be beneficial. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows only minimal retouchings, the most significant of which are: 1) Small retouchings along the two vertical joins in the panel which run either side of the sitters head 2) small retouchings in the lower left corner running up from the lower horizontal framing edge 3) an area between the sitters hat and the upper horizontal framing edge which measures approximately 3 x 2 cm. There are other very small scattered spots of inpainting. Summary The painting is therefore in essentially good condition and it is very encouraging to find the finer details of the sitters costume and in particular his fur cape in such a good condition with little evidence of abrasion or over cleaning in the past. Some localised panel consolidation would be advisable as would the securing of the panel within the frame
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

The present painting is one of a group of portraits of James I, associated with John De Critz, sergeant painter to the King from 1605, other versions of which include those at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich and St. John's College, Cambridge, as well as full length versions at Loseley Park and in the Prado, Madrid. In all these versions the King's costume and accoutrements vary subtly, particularly in relation to the ornamentation of his hat and the position of his hands. The jewel which decorates the King's black ostrich plumed hat in this particularly fine version is the celebrated Mirror of Great Britain, which was created in 1605 and included the famous 55.23 carat Sancy diamond, now on display in the Louvre, Paris. James I had bought the diamond in 1604 for 60,000 ecus from Nicholas de Sancy, whose brother, M. de Montglat, was the French Ambassador to London. In 1625 James I was succeeded by his son, Charles I, who disposed of the Mirror of Great Britain in order to raise money to finance his debts, but he retained the Sancy. The diamond remained one of the treasures of the British Crown Jewels until 1657, when it was acquired by Cardinal Jules Mazarin, First Minister of France and a great collector of precious stones, who bequeathed it to the French Crown upon his death.

This portrait was presented by James I to Sir Edward Phelips (c.1555/60-1614), Speaker of the House of Commons from 1603 to 1611, and later Master of the Rolls from 1611 until his death. A lawyer, and Justice of the Common Pleas in the County Palatine of Lancaster, he was active against the Catholics and was one of those appointed to examine the conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Infamously having once condemning a man to death 'simply for entertaining a Jesuit', when the case came to trial in January 1606 it was Phelips who opened  the indictment against Guy Fawkes. It is quite possible that the present painting was given by the sitter in recognition of Phelips's services during the trial and subsequent prosecution.

The painting hung at Montacute House, in Somerset, built by Phelips in circa 1598 as his family's principal seat. The house is believed to have been designed by William Arnold, the architect responsible for both Cranborne Manor, in Dorset, and Wadham College, Oxford, and it is regarded as one of the finest surviving examples of late Elizabethan architecture in England. The house remained in the possession of Phelips's descendants until the early 20th century and is now owned by the National Trust, who aquired the property in 1927.

We are grateful to Diana Scarisbrick for here assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.