ENGLISH SCHOOL (17th century)
Portrait miniature of a Lady, wearing blue gown with pink sleeves, ochre background
circa 1670
Watercolour and gouache on vellum
Oval, 120 mm (4 3/4 in) high
Associated turned wood frame
£2,500
Although our sitter has previously been named as the Duchess of Portsmouth, facially she bears a closer resemblance to a portrait said to be of Lady Johanna St John (1631-1705), by Godfrey Kneller and now in the collection at Lydiard House, Swindon. Johanna was born in 1631 the third child and eldest daughter of Oliver St. John, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and his first wife Johanna Altham. Johanna was descended from the senior Bletsoe branch of the St. John family when in 1649 she married a distant cousin, Walter St. John, who descended from the junior branch at Lydiard Tregoze.
Johanna was a knowledgeable gardener and herbalist and has left a unique record of her work. Johanna used plants from the formal gardens at Lydiard, formerly located at the front of the medieval manor house and stretching down to the lake, sourcing the more exotic ingredients such as unicorn horn and bezoar stones from elsewhere.
Lady Johanna’s Recipe Book dated 1680 is a rare survivor of a 17th century collection of herbal remedies and is held in The Wellcome Library in London. In her will Johanna bequeaths “my great Receit Book” to her daughter [Anne] Cholmondeley.
The size of this miniature, almost a small painting, would have likely been planned for display in a cabinet room, such as the Green Closet at Ham House. It is so close in style to the oil portraits painted by Lely and Kneller at the time that it may have been painted by an accomplished amateur artist who found a larger piece of vellum easier to work on than miniatures destined to be worn as jewellery.
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shipping TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Worldwide shipping is included in all prices.
The Limner Company does not accept any responsibility for import duty, this is to be paid by the buyer.
See Section 7.5 in Terms & Conditions for information on export/import regulations.
Please contact us to discuss shipping options.
Some stock items contain materials from endangered species which are governed by CITES regulations and will
require a permit to export outside of Great Britain. If a certificate of export is required then this will be
the responsibility of and paid for by the buyer.
See Section 7.5 in Terms & Conditions for information on export/import regulations.
Please contact us to discuss shipping options.
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