Lot 153
  • 153

Samuel Cooper

Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Samuel Cooper
  • Portrait of Sir William Fairfax (1609-1644)
  • Watercolour and bodycolour on vellum;
    signed lower left: SC; early 18th century gold frame, the reverse finely engraved with sitter's monogram
  • 45 by 37 mm

Provenance

The Fairfax family, Bilborough and Steeton;
sale, London, Christie's, 21 April 1998, lot 16,
where acquired by Bernadette and William M.B. Berger, Denver, Colorado

Condition

This watercolour is in good condition. There is some minor pigment loss on the sitter's lower left arm.
"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."

Catalogue Note

William Fairfax was knighted by Charles I at Whitehall in June 1630. Despite this, at the outbreak of the civil war in 1642, he joined the parliamentary forces. He fought in a number of key battles, including at Edgehill and Marston Moor, until he was mortally wounded in September 1644, at Montgomery Castle in central Wales. He died the following day and his widow ‘grieved not that he died in the cause, but that he died so soon that he could do no more for it.’1

1. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Sir William Fairfax, on-line edition