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ANTIQUE #SA1116414

17th Century English School Oil On Wooden Panel Of Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596) After Marcus Gheeraerts The Younger (1561/2-1636)

£4,800    $5,989    €5,762
Portrait miniature of Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596) naval commander, English explorer, and privateer.
 
Oil on wooden panel
 
Oval, 7.5 x 5.5 cm
 
Frame: 13.5cm x 11.5cm
 
Provenance
 
Heydon Garage, Norfolk.
 
This miniature is a version of the portrait of Sir Francis Drake by Marcus Gheeraerts located at Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery. It is not surprising that Gheerhaerts should paint Sir Francis Drake’s portrait as he was integral to the successes of the Elizabethan age. Gheerearts painted Queen Elizabeth standing over a map in ‘The Ditchley Portrait’ (1592) to represent the conquering and discovery of the ‘New World’, a so-called ‘Golden Age’. Our miniature is a powerful reminder of the mammoth feats Sir Francis Drake delivered during the reign of Elizabeth I.
 
The one aspect that remains constant throughout the conography of Sir Francis Drake is his assertive and domineering facial hair. John Stow, 16th century English historians, noted Drake to be Drake ‘round headed, brown hayre, full bearded, his eyes round, Large and cleare, well favoured, fayre, and of a cheerefull countenance’. Similarly, in 1578, Nuńo da Silva, a Portuguese pilot made clear that Drake was ‘of good appearance, with a red beard and a ruddy complexion’. Such affirming features match what is displayed in our miniature.
 
There is some speculation around Gheereats’s involvement in producing portrait miniatures, with Daphne Foskett noting that although he was a celebrated portrait painter, ‘has been said to have painted miniatures, no proof of this has so far come ...
Antique #SA1116414, shown on this page, originates from the 17th century. For historical context, the timeline below highlights the period when it was made:
←C17th
Famous inventions historic timeline graphic to help to give historical context to the date of this antique.
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