Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 17th Century.
SIR EDWARD VILLIERS (c.
He was the second son of Sir George Villiers by his first wife.
By his father's second marriage he was a half-brother of James I's favourite, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham.
Villiers was knighted on 7 September 1616. In October 1617, he succeeded Sir Richard Martin as Master of the Mint (until 1623), and in November 1618 he became Comptroller of the Court of Wards. From 1623 until his death he was Warden of the Mint
On 30 December 1620 Villiers was elected as one of the members of parliament for Westminster. In August 1625 he asked the Commons to prevent a dissolution by desisting from their attack on his half-brother Buckingham.
Meanwhile, James I, in January 1625, appointed Villiers Lord President of Munster; the appointment was confirmed by Charles I on 6 May, and in August Villiers went to Ireland to assume his duties. He held the post little over a year, and was absent for several months during that period.
Villiers died in the college of Youghal, which he made his official residence, on 7 September 1626; he was buried in St. Mary's, Youghal.
Villiers had married, circa 1612, Barbara St John, daughter of Sir John St John of Lydiard Tregoze, Wiltshire and Lucy Hungerford, daughter of Sir Walter Hungerford of Farleigh Castle, Somerset, by whom he had ten children.
Villier's eldest son was William Villiers, who succeeded as 2nd Viscount Grandison in 1630, and was father of Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, mistress of Charles II.
GEORGE GELDORP, also known as Georg or Jorge (1580/1595 - c. 1665) was a Flemish painter who was mainly active in England where he was known for his portraits and history paintings.
He was the son of the Flemish portrait painter Gortzius Geldorp who lived and worked in Cologne. Geldorp first trained and worked as a painter in Cologne before being admitted as a Master in the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1610. In 1623, Geldorp moved to London where he painted a number of portraits in the Anglo-Netherlandish style, notably of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury and his wife Catherine in 1626 and of Sir Arthur Ingram in late 1638/early 1639.
He was involved in organizing commissions in England for Flemish and Dutch artists including Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Peter Lely. Upon the Restoration, he assisted with the reconstitution of the art collection and possessions of the English Royal family and was rewarded for his services with the post of picture mender and cleaner to the King
Geldorp was also active as a collaborator and copyist of Anthony van Dyck and later Peter Lely.
SIZE: 34.25 x 30.5 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Private Collection, Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 17th Century.
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Portrait of Sir Edward Villiers C.1625, by George Geldorp.
