Inscription upper right 'Aet. 29. Ano 1645' (Aged 29 in 1645).
ANNE BABINGTON (born Anne Hopkins) was born in 1615, youngest daughter of Sampson and Jane Hopkins, marrying Matthew Babington in 1634. She bore her husband twelve children of whom seven survived; her last was still born and she died with the child.
A poignant monument to the Babingtons in Rothley Parish Church commemorates her death. Touchingly, the effigy of Matthew reaches across a skull to hold Anne's hand, symbolising a love greater than death.
There are many other monuments to the family, as Rothley was home to the Babingtons from the 1560s to 1893 when ownership of their house Rothley Temple passed to the Merrtens family. The house still stands, now known as Rothley Court, it has been an hotel since 1960.
Rothley Temple originally belonged to the Knights Templar from 1203, then the Knights Hospitaller until their supression in the 1560s.
Daniël Mijtens (Delft, c. 1590 – The Hague, 1647/48), known in England as DANIEL MYTENS the Elder, was a Dutch portrait painter who spent the central years of his career working in England. He was born in Delft into a family of artists and trained in The Hague, possibly in the studio of Van Mierevelt. His influence in England was considerable.
SIZE: canvas 44 x 39 inches
PROVENANCE: by descent through the Babington family.
IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS PORTRAIT IS SOLD AS A COMPANION TO THE ONE OF MATTHEW BABINGTON AND THE PRICE IS FOR THE PAIR.
Roy and nadine precious: specialists in portraiture from the 16th to the 20th century. Established in 1972.
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Sold....pair of Portraits of Matthew and Anne Babington 1645; Circle of Daniel Mytens.
