Scenes and Traces of the English Civil War by Stephen Bann (2020)

 

The Economist reviewed Scenes and Traces of the English Civil War by art historian Stephen Bann this week. The first paragraphs mention Hubert Le Sueur's equestrian statue of Charles I in Trafalgar Square, of which my article from 2011 remains the most visited on this site.

Bann's book is billed as '... the first attempt to portray the visual legacy of (the ECW) period, as passed down, revisited and periodically reworked over two and a half centuries of subsequent English history.' Definitely one for the reading list. You can read more about it on the Reaktion Books website here.

Charles II: Art & Power @ The Queen's Gallery

Portraits at the Charles II: Art & Power exhibition

There have been a few fine 17th century exhibitions in London over the past few years: Peter Lely at the Courtauld, the fantastic In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion at the Queen's Gallery, The Lost Prince: Henry Stuart at the NPG and the William Dobson 400th anniversary celebration at Somerset House.

Another two were running simultaneously in the capital last year: Charles I, King and Collector at the Royal Academy, and Charles II: Art and Power at the Queen's Gallery. Shamefully I missed the Royal Academy show (though it did get mixed reviews), but did manage to make it along to the Charles II exhibition, which was excellent. Here are some pics ... 

An Epithalamion, or Marriage Song on the Lady Elizabeth and Count Palatine being Married on St Valentine’s Day (John Donne, 1613)

Frederick and Elizabeth, King and Queen of Bohemia Today marks the 404th anniversary of the marriage of Elizabeth Stuart (sister of Charles I) to Frederick, the Elector Palatine. The pair married on 14 February 1613, with lavish simultaneous celebrations in London and Heidelberg. John Donne was commissioned to write a marriage song to celebrate the occasion, so, for all those celebrating Valentine's Day, here it is ...

Wooden replica of 17th century London burnt

Here's the video of the 120m-long wooden replica of 17th century London being set alight.

The model was built by US artist David Best to mark 350 years since the Great Fire of London in 1666. To mark the anniversary the Museum of London has created a website as a permanent resource for information on the fire:

www.fireoflondon.org.uk

Dobson self-portrait sells for £1.1m

A self-portrait by William Dobson, court painter to Charles I, sold recently at Bonham's for £1.1m (including buyer's premium).
Guardian article on the portrait Bonham's press release More articles about William Dobson More articles about English Civil War art

The York House Water Gate: Part Two - The Water Gate in Art

A view of the Thames from the Buckingham stairs water gate towards the Adelphi Terrace, Saint Paul's Cathedral beyond. Circle of William Marlow (1740-1813).

Read first! The York House Water Gate: Part One

The York House Water Gate has been a source of inspiration for many artists since its completion in 1626, though sadly only as a remnant of the once-great Thames-side mansion rather than as the grand waterside entrance to the ill-fated Duke of Buckingham's lodgings.

Here are some examples ...

Anthony Powell Society article

The Anthony Powell Society newsletter.

An old article from this site about the Charles I statue in Trafalgar Square appears in the latest edition of the Anthony Powell Society newsletter.

Powell wrote in a 1989 Telegraph article on London statues that "aesthetically speaking" the Le Seur's sculpture of the monarch was "the winner". To enlighten members further the Society got in touch. As luck would have it they found a Powell fan ...

Cromwell and Hesilrig display @ NPG

The display at the National Portrait Gallery.

If you're in London over the next year a couple of small 17th century displays at the National Portrait Gallery are worth catching.

One explores the relationship between art and power during the period, while the other reveals an intriguing discovery about the collection's portrait of Sir Arthur Hesilrig ...

17th century art @ The Weiss Gallery

Sign outside the Weiss Gallery, London

The sign above caught my eye a few weeks back when walking in Jermyn Street ...

Excerpt from I Puritani

Excerpt from  I Puritani, Bellini's opera set during the English Civil War, at the Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center, New York, The opera runs until May 10 2014.

Read the full review

In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion @ Queen's Gallery

Portraits of English Civil War commanders in the section on military clothing and armour.

There's just a few weeks left to catch the excellent exhibition In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion, which runs at the Queen's Gallery (Buckingham Palace) until 6 October.

Here's some of what you can expect ...

Re-creating The Night Watch (1642)

While England descended into war in 1642, the artist Rembrandt was busy painting one of the masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age.

The Night Watch recently returned to its original position in the newly re-opened Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Click on the video above to see a flashmob celebrate its unveiling.

Was Dobson a Catholic?

Intriguing little side story which never made it into BBC4's William Dobson - The Lost Genius of British Art documentary, suggesting that Charles I's portraitist at the Oxford court may have secretly been a Catholic.

More about William Dobson

Christie Crawfurd Collection exhibition in Stow-on-the-Wold (Apr - Oct 2013)

The Death of a Cavalier's Wife, by Eugene Sibendt, 1919.

A major collection of English Civil War paintings are going on display this spring ...

Henry Stuart, Prince of Wales exhibition @ National Portrait Gallery

The Lost Prince: The Life and Death of Henry Stuart at the National Portrait Gallery.

Charles I was never meant be king. His elder brother Henry was intended to succeed his father as Henry IX, but died tragically at the age of only 18. Henry had been held in great esteem, and hopes were high. He would reassert England as a significant Protestant power in Europe, become a beacon for the arts and, through the unifying force of his personality, avoid any need for an English Civil War. He was destined to be/do lots of things, counter-factual historians suggest, drawing - in part - on the outpouring of literature lamenting his loss.
How much can truly be interpreted about someone when they die so young? I went along to The Lost Prince: The Life and Death of Henry Stuart at the National Portrait Gallery to find out ...

Peter Lely @ The Courtauld

Peter Lely: A Lyrical Vision runs at the Courtauld Gallery, London until Jan 12 2013.

The reputation in the UK of the Dutch artist Peter Lely rests largely on his portraits of the many beauties who caught the eye of Charles II. Some of these appeared last year at The Wild, the Beautiful and the Damned exhibition at Hampton Court.

The current display at the Courtauld chooses to examine Lely's pastoral and religious works. Previews frothed over risqué mythological scenes splashing acres of female flesh - scenes not often associated with the puritan Interregnum (when many of the works are meant to have been completed). So how did Lely get away with it?

Chess board, thought to have been owned by Charles I, up for auction

The early-17th century amber games board, attributed to Georg Schreiber.

A 17th century amber games board, believed to have been owned by Charles I, is up for auction tomorrow, with an estimate price of £300,000 - 500,000 ...

Madingley and William Dowsing

An engraving by Kip of Madingley Hall in 1705. Credit: University of Cambridge

I enjoyed this blog post by Adrian Barlow about Madingley Hall, Cambridgeshire, during the English Civil War.

The Hynde family who built the Hall were committed Royalists, as were the Stewkeleys of Hinton Ampner, who inherited the estate, though their allegiance to the King would eventually bring them to the attention of a notorious iconoclast ...

Stuart art website

The Five Eldest Children of Charles I, Van Dyck, 1637

Laurence Shafe's art history website features a nice set of early Stuart portraits helpfully themed to aid researchers. The two pages on Van Dyck at the royal court are particularly interesting, showing the development of the painter's work during both periods of his life in England ...

Queen's House Conference 2012

Queen's House, Greenwich (1614-17). Photo: © Bill Bertram 2006, CC-BY-2.5

This year's Queen's House Conference is entitled 'Inigo Jones, the Queen's House and languages of Stuart culture'.

The building has had many uses over the centuries, and is slated to play a role in the 2012 Olympic Games ...