You can contact us with the problem you are having and we will investigate.
Stripe Online Payments
Sellingantiques have now partnered with Stripe card processing to give you a seamless purchase experience of antiques on sellingantiques.
Millions of companies of all sizes use Stripe online to accept payments and is the worlds No.1 payment gateway.
So how does it work: Look for the button in the antique details page to instantly purchase antiques from dealers who have activated Stripe online payments.
You can now easily filter and show antiques that only have this option enabled.
Using this button notifies us immediately that you have purchased this item. Once you have made the payment we will instantly mark it as sold to ensure that no one else can buy it.
Discounts can also be made available.
We are always improving the purchase experience for both buyer and seller and more and more dealers are enabling this option each week.
C.1665 Portrait Of Lady, Grace Saunderson, Viscountess Castleton; Sir Peter Lely And Studio (1618-1680), Antique Oil On Canvas Painting
Status:This item has been sold Sold by:Titan Fine Art
This work formed part of a collection of family pictures and heirlooms of the Saunderson, Viscount Castleton family and their descendants, the Earls of Scarbrough, at their magnificent family seat Sandbeck Park, where the Earls still reside today, almost 400 years later. It was painted in the studio of Sir Peter Lely, the most technically proficient painter in England after the death of Van Dyck, and the dominant court painter to Charles II and James, Duke of York. Remarkably, the sitter''s substantial recipe and accounts book survives today, offering historians a rare and invaluable glimpse into a seventeenth century household.
The sitter is Grace Saunderson, Viscountess Castleton (1635-1667) and the portrait was painted circa 1665 to 1667. Her hairstyle was a popular one between the wired curled hair of the early 1660’s and the centrally-parted one of the early 1670s. Lady Grace Castleton embodied early modern principles of domestic virtue. The daughter of a wealthy and politi...cally active landowner, she gave birth to eight children during her eleven-year marriage.
Lady Castleton was born Grace Bellasis (Ballassis or Belasyse) in Coxwold in 1635, as the daughter of Henry Belasyse (1604-47) and Grace Barton (d.1660). Her elder brother Thomas (1627-1700) inherited the title 2nd Viscount Fauconberg from his grandfather in 1652 and Earl Fauconberg from 1689. He married Mary, the 3rd daughter of Oliver Cromwell. According to legend Cromwell’s body is buried at Sandbeck. The Belasyse family were settled in county Durham in the middle-ages
Grace married the English soldier and politician George Saunderson, 5th Viscount Castleton (c.1631-1714) by 1656 and the couple had eight sons. When Saunderson began serving in Parliament in 1661, Grace apparently followed him to London but she died there suddenly in 1667. Her funeral elegy dedicated to her states she was a model wife and her abilities in this area appear to have been so great that she was, in the afterlife, able metaphorically to straddle both worlds, in a spiritually bigamous relationship with both Christ and her earthly husband.
Sandbeck Park was the Saunderson family seat and it is still lived in by their decendants today, the Earls of Scarbrough.
Lady Castleton started her recipe collection as a young woman; it contains over 200 recipes. After her death the book remained in the possession of the Saunderson family, and other family members, including Saunderson’s second wife Sarah, whose aunt was the notable cookbook keeper Anne Fanshawe, continued to add to it well into the 18th century.
The portrait is a fine example of English Baroque portraiture and it illustrates the painter''s skill. Through examples such as this it is easy to see why Sir Peter Lely’s talent dominated the art world in the second half of the seventeenth century in England and everyone of significance sat to him.
We are grateful to Diana Dethloff and David Taylor for endorsing the attribution based on photographs.
Provenance:
The sitter at Sandbeck Park, the Saunderson and Lumley family seat;
By decent to George Augusta Lumley-Saunderson, 5th Earl of Scarbrough (1782-1807);
His sale, sold by Mr. Dawson on the premises by order of the executors, Sandbeck Park, Bawtry, Yorkshire, 2-7 Nov, 1807;
Lord Lansdowne (according to an old handwritten label on the stretcher);
Acquired by the father of the present owner, 1970s;
Thence by descent
Much more information at: www.titanfineart.com
Much more info about this item at: www.titanfineartcom
WHY PURCHASE FROM US?
- Trusted Seller With Over 20 Years Experience (1,000+ paintings sold)
- Accurate & Honest Descriptions
- Safe/Secure Payment Methods Offered
- Professionally Conserved Paintings
- Returns Offered
- Reduced Prices for Exported Paintings
- Safe & Fully Tracked Worldwide Shipping
- Personalised Service
Subscribe to our monthly 'new item alert' to be the first to hear of new stock
Antique ID Number (AIDN): SA1091311
Dateline of this antique is 17th Century
Height is 89cm (35.0inches)Width is 79cm (31.1inches)Depth is 5cm (2.0inches)
Antique SA1091311 shown on this page was made in the 17th Century. For historical context, the timeline below highlights the period when it was created:
←C17th
ANTIQUE SA1091311
CONTACT DETAILS OF SELLER:
Titan Fine Art
Specialist dealer in portraits from the 17th to the 20th century. All stock is in excellent condition and can be hung & enjoyed immediately.
London
United Kingdom
Tel: 07875 412 111
STATUS
THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD
Thank you.
Your comment has been sent to Sellingantiques.
Thank you.
Your rating and comment have been sent to Sellingantiques.
Thank you.
Your score has been recieved.
Thanks. But what can we do better?
SEND COMMENT
If you would like to be contacted to discuss your feedback then please leave a phone number or email address in your message.
Thanks for your great feedback!
We love it when our wonderful visitors are happy with us!
SEND COMMENT
Live daily database information for 12 December 2025
Antiques approved in last 24 hours
0
Antiques awaiting approval
27
Antiques rejected in last 24 hours
2
Unique visitors today
5233
Total antique impressions today
402816
Total antiques for sale
68419
Total value of antiques for sale
£138454682
Antiques uploaded so far in December 2025
2303
Unique visitors to Sellingantiques so far in December 2025
149588
Unique visitors to Sellingantiques so far in 2025
6786288
Item saved
The c.1665 Portrait of Lady, Grace Saunderson, Viscountess Castleton; Sir Peter Lely and Studio (1618-1680), Antique oil on canvas painting has been added to your saved items.
Sending email ...
... please wait
Sending Email...
... please wait
Problem with this page?
You can contact us with the problem you are having and we will investigate.
Sending an email to: Titan Fine Art
Item: #SA1091311 c.1665 Portrait of Lady, Grace Saunders...
Thank you.
Your comment has been sent to Sellingantiques.