Henry Stuart and his World
Having assembled a collection of prints relating to Peter Lely in our last post, here we go right back to the start of the 17th century (and earlier) with prints relating to the exhibition 'The Lost Prince', currently taking place at London's National Portrait Gallery, which explores the world of Henry Stuart (1594-1612). We hope you enjoy it and wish a happy Christmas to all readers.
This portait of Henry Stuart derives from the Isaac Oliver miniature of c.1610-12, of which several versions exist. The print retains the oval format common to most of these miniatures:
Henricus Princeps Walliae etc.
R. White Sculp.
Sam Mearne Excudit. [n.d. c.1700, but later?]
Engraving. Plate 157 x 102mm. 6¼ x 4".
[Ref: 24344] £40.00 (£48.00 incl.VAT)
This is a portrait of Isaac Oliver, the famous miniature painter, holding one of his works with several others on a table in front of him:
Isaacus Oliverus, Anglus, Pictor.
Hh exc. Cum privil. [n.d. c.1610.]
Engraving. Plate 178 x 120mm. 7 x 4¾". False margins added. Isaac Oliver (c.1565-1617) was a French-born English portrait miniature painter, who studied under Nicholas Hilliard.
Ex Collection: R. Hobson of Hove.
[Ref: 25465] £60.00 (£72.00 incl.VAT)
Henry is seen here with his father and other siblings in this group portrait...
His Majesty James the First, King of England, and his Royal Progeny; Together with the Family of the King of Bohemia.
Engraved by Charles Turner from an extreme rare Print by Passe.
London: Pubd Aug 4 1813 by S.Woodburn St Martin's Lane.
Mezzotint on india laid paper, 340 x 440mm. 13¼ x 17¼".
Whitman: 469.
[Ref: 11346] £260.00
Engraved by J. Minasi after Holbein
£80 + VAT
Anothe great collector of the period was Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel, who was associated with the entourage of Henry Stuart. Howard 'became perhaps the most remarkable collector and connoisseur of paintings in early Stuart England'. and the wonderful Rubens portrait exhibited at the NPG demonstrates his relationship with one of the greatest of all Western artists.
[Thomas Howard.]
J. Houbraken sculps. Amst. 1743. Signed by J Houbraken on verso in ink.
Engraving, scarce, proof before title. Plate 370 x 235mm. 14½ x 9¼". First state. Slight stain through middle.
Thomas Howard (1585-1646) 14th Earl of Arundel was a prominent English courtier during the reigns of King James I and King Charles I, but he made his name as a Grand Tourist and art collector rather than as a politician. From Thomas Birch's "The Heads of Ilustrious Persons of Great Britain".
Collector's Stamp: Julian Marshall (1836-1903) [Lugt: 1494.]
[Ref: 23986] £320.00
One section of the NPG's exhibition is titled 'Henry Stuart and the Wider World', in which can be found portraits of figures outside of the court who influenced Henry. One of these was Sir Walter Ralegh:
The true Effigies of ye Hon.ble S.r Walter Rawlegh Knight.
F.H.Van.Hove. Sculp:
[n.d. c.1680].
Etching. Plate 140 x 88mm. 5½ x 3½".
Sir Walter Raleigh, famed naval commander, explorer and author (1552? - 1618).
Ex Collection Norman Blackburn.
[Ref: 18496] £125.00 (£150.00 incl.VAT)
Navy, exploration, foreign politics and religion, all important subjects for the young prince, 'were all areas of interest to the great Elizabethan polymath Sir Walter Ralegh, who was confined in the Tower of London for most of James I's reign, but saw Henry as a potential advocate for his release'. Ralegh addressed treatises to Henry, and although there is no evidence they met, 'there has been much speculation about the level of mutual admiration' between the two.
Christian IV, king of Denmark for over sixty yeas, was Henry's uncle. He visited in England in 1606 and encouraged Henry's military interests. He is shown here in a double portrait with Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange:
[Christian IV and Prince Frederick.]
[Engraved by R. Dunkarton.]
[London: S. Woodburn, 1813-1814.]
Mezzotint, proof before all letters on india laid paper, 360 x 270mm. 14¼ x 10½".
Joint portrait, of (to left) Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway (1577 - 1648), and Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (1584 - 1648); deer in parkland behind.
Chaloner Smith: undescribed.
[Ref: 18064] £220.00
(This and other engravings by Dunkarton in this post can also be found in the full volume of 'Fifteen Splendid Portraits of Royal Personages' currently in stock.)
Maurice of Nassau (1567-1625), Stathoulder of Holland and Zealand, Prince of Orange, and 'perhaps the foremost general of his age', was (alongside Henri IV of France), Henry's hero among the princes of Europe. Equally, 'Maurice was keen to cultivate Henry as an important future ally', and he even sent the Dutch enginer Abraham van Nyevelt to tutor Henry in the construction of military fortifications:
Mauritio Principe Di Nassau, Gran Croce Dell Ordine Di Malta, Maresciallo Generale De Gli Esserciti Delle Sette Provincie Unite Del Paese Basso &c.
I.M. Lerch fec: [n.d. c.1620].
Engraving. 160 x 220mm.
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange [1567 – 1625]. General and politician whose strategic and material improvements to the Dutch army led to the repulsion of Spanish forces from Dutch territory.
Collection of the Royal House of Savoy and Italy.
[Ref: 3866] £95.00 (£114.00 incl.VAT)
When Henry fell ill, he was treated by Theodore de Mayerne, 'probably the most famous and admired doctor in Europe during his lifetime.' Mayerne served as Physician-in-Ordinary to Henri IV before emigrating to England after the murder of the French monarch. He became Principal Physician under James I, and as Henry's condition worsened he was called to the Prince's bedside, although he was unable to prevent the Prince's death.
This led to inevitable accusations of malpractice and poisoning against Mayerne, but in response he wrote detailed accounts of the Prince's illness and the treatments he applied. These not only exonerated Mayerne, but have since allowed diagnosis of Henry's illness as typhoid fever.
This print was engraved after a portrait by Rubens then in the collection of the great 18th century doctor and physician Richard Mead:
Theodorus Turquetus Mayernius, Eq. Aurat. Jacob.I.mi et Carol.I.mi. Magnae Britanniae Regum Archiater. Nat. A.D. 1572. Obiit A.D. 1654.
Ad Tabulam, in Pinacotheca Richardi Mead M.D. asservatam, a P.P. Rubens Eq. Aur: pictam, dekineavit et Sculpt. I.Simon.
[n.d. c.1720.]
Mezzotint. 355 x 254mm. 14 x 10". Cut.
CS: 102: state undescribed. Russell: 102: ii. Schneevoogt: 184.262.
[Ref: 15062] £130.00 (£156.00 incl.VAT)
(all quotations from the exhibition catalogue The Lost Prince: the Life and Death of Henry Stuart by Catherine MacLeod)
This portait of Henry Stuart derives from the Isaac Oliver miniature of c.1610-12, of which several versions exist. The print retains the oval format common to most of these miniatures:
R. White Sculp.
Sam Mearne Excudit. [n.d. c.1700, but later?]
Engraving. Plate 157 x 102mm. 6¼ x 4".
[Ref: 24344] £40.00 (£48.00 incl.VAT)
This is a portrait of Isaac Oliver, the famous miniature painter, holding one of his works with several others on a table in front of him:
Hh exc. Cum privil. [n.d. c.1610.]
Engraving. Plate 178 x 120mm. 7 x 4¾". False margins added. Isaac Oliver (c.1565-1617) was a French-born English portrait miniature painter, who studied under Nicholas Hilliard.
Ex Collection: R. Hobson of Hove.
[Ref: 25465] £60.00 (£72.00 incl.VAT)
Henry is seen here with his father and other siblings in this group portrait...
His Majesty James the First, King of England, and his Royal Progeny; Together with the Family of the King of Bohemia.
Engraved by Charles Turner from an extreme rare Print by Passe.
London: Pubd Aug 4 1813 by S.Woodburn St Martin's Lane.
Mezzotint on india laid paper, 340 x 440mm. 13¼ x 17¼".
Whitman: 469.
[Ref: 11346] £260.00
..in which can also be seen Elizabeth, later Queen of Bohemia, the eldest surviving daughter of James and Anne, who was born two years after Henry:
Elizabeth Princess of Palestine & Queen of Bohemia. In the Royal Collection at St. James's.
London Engrav'd for Harrison's Edition of Rapine. G. Honthorst pinxit. Taylor sculpsit.
Publish'd as the Act directs, 6.th Dec.r 1787.
Engraving with large margins. Plate 280 x 178mm. 11 x 7". Creasing and small tears.
London Engrav'd for Harrison's Edition of Rapine. G. Honthorst pinxit. Taylor sculpsit.
Publish'd as the Act directs, 6.th Dec.r 1787.
Engraving with large margins. Plate 280 x 178mm. 11 x 7". Creasing and small tears.
[Ref: 27301] £60.00
(£72.00 incl.VAT)
This elaborate royal genealogy shows James and Anne in the top left, listing at the very top their children Henry (his year of death given as 1613), Elizabeth, and Charles (the future Charles I):
Reges Angliae.
[Venice: G. Albrizzi, c.1625.]
Scarce Engraving. 550 x 390mm, 21¾ x 15½". A few signs of wear, centre fold taped on reverse, text on verso trimmed.
A genealogical chart listing the the English monarchs from from Henry II (crowned 1154) to James I (1603). The chart takes the form of the traditional family tree planted in front of Nonsuch Palace (Henry VIII's palace in Surrey), starting with the Empress Maud (Matilda) and her husband Geoffrey of Anjou, parents of Henry II.
This example has a text on reverse that ends with a mention of Charles I's ascension to the throne in 1625.
[Ref: 18311] £520.00
[Venice: G. Albrizzi, c.1625.]
Scarce Engraving. 550 x 390mm, 21¾ x 15½". A few signs of wear, centre fold taped on reverse, text on verso trimmed.
A genealogical chart listing the the English monarchs from from Henry II (crowned 1154) to James I (1603). The chart takes the form of the traditional family tree planted in front of Nonsuch Palace (Henry VIII's palace in Surrey), starting with the Empress Maud (Matilda) and her husband Geoffrey of Anjou, parents of Henry II.
This example has a text on reverse that ends with a mention of Charles I's ascension to the throne in 1625.
[Ref: 18311] £520.00
One of Henry's chosen companions during his childhood was John Harington- they are portrayed together, in the hunting field,in Robert Peake's striking double portrait of 1609, part of the NPG exhibition. The pair had a close relationship and Harington was described by Venetian Ambassador Sir Henry Wotton as the 'right eye of the prince':
Dominus Iohannes Haringtonus Baro de Exton &c.
[n.d. c.1614.]
Wood engraving, rare. 70 x 57mm. 2¾ x 2¼". Cut.
Portrait of John Harington, second Baron Harington of Exton, bust in an oval, wearing ruff. Frontispiece to the 'Life' (1614) of Harington.
Ex Collection: R. Hobson of Hove.
[Ref: 25336] £90.00 (£108.00 incl.VAT)
[n.d. c.1614.]
Wood engraving, rare. 70 x 57mm. 2¾ x 2¼". Cut.
Portrait of John Harington, second Baron Harington of Exton, bust in an oval, wearing ruff. Frontispiece to the 'Life' (1614) of Harington.
Ex Collection: R. Hobson of Hove.
[Ref: 25336] £90.00 (£108.00 incl.VAT)
Another aspect of Henry's upbringing was his presence at court entertainments, many of which were written by Ben Jonson, one of the greatest of British playwrights. When Henry was created Prince of Wales in 1610, as masque written in his honour by Jonson was performed. Jonson, who often collaborated with designer and architect Inigo Jones, also wrote entertainments and masques including The Masque of Queens, Prince Henry's Barriers, and Oberon.
Benjaminus Johnson. Obijt Anno} Dom. 1637. aetat. 63 [...]
Gerard Honthorst pinxit. Geo: Vertue, Londini Sculp.
[n.d. c.1730.]
Engraving. Mounted on an album page. Image 369 x 253mm. 14½ x 10". Trimmed and laid on sheet. Some glue staining to the corners.
Gerard Honthorst pinxit. Geo: Vertue, Londini Sculp.
[n.d. c.1730.]
Engraving. Mounted on an album page. Image 369 x 253mm. 14½ x 10". Trimmed and laid on sheet. Some glue staining to the corners.
From the Belton
House Collection assembled in the 18th Century by the Rt. Hon. John Ld.
Brownlow, Baron Charleville, & Viscount Tyrconnel in the Kingdom of
Ireland. Ex: Collection of The Hon. C. Lenno
[Ref: 12917] £290.00
[Ref: 12917] £290.00
Henry had a keen interest in art collecting-he owned the picture from which the next print is taken. The painting, still in the Royal Collection and part of the NPG exhibition, is attributed to an unknown Netherlandish artist, c.1550-60, and 'as it is not recorded in the Royal Collection before his [Henry's] lifetime it seems likely that it was bought for or by the prince':
William Sommers. King Henry the Eighth's Jester, from an ancient Picture in the Collection of Richard Aldworth Neville Esq.r
S. Harding del.t R. Clamp Sculp.
Pubd. Octo.r 1.st 1794 by Caulfield & Herbert.
Coloured stipple, printed in colours. 190 x 140mm. 7½ x 5½". Trimmed to platemark and glued to backing sheet. William Sommers (d.1560) was the best-known court jester who served for Henry VIII and Edward VI.
[Ref: 24410] £120.00 (£144.00 incl.VAT)
But although the painting is considered to possibly represent a professional jester, there is no mention in the NPG exhibition of the Sommers identification found on this print.
Henry also inherited a large volume of drawings by Holbein, which included the drawings from which these two prints were made:
Lady Vaux
Engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi after Holbein
£80 + VAT
The Lord VauxS. Harding del.t R. Clamp Sculp.
Pubd. Octo.r 1.st 1794 by Caulfield & Herbert.
Coloured stipple, printed in colours. 190 x 140mm. 7½ x 5½". Trimmed to platemark and glued to backing sheet. William Sommers (d.1560) was the best-known court jester who served for Henry VIII and Edward VI.
[Ref: 24410] £120.00 (£144.00 incl.VAT)
But although the painting is considered to possibly represent a professional jester, there is no mention in the NPG exhibition of the Sommers identification found on this print.
Henry also inherited a large volume of drawings by Holbein, which included the drawings from which these two prints were made:
Engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi after Holbein
£80 + VAT
Engraved by J. Minasi after Holbein
£80 + VAT
Anothe great collector of the period was Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel, who was associated with the entourage of Henry Stuart. Howard 'became perhaps the most remarkable collector and connoisseur of paintings in early Stuart England'. and the wonderful Rubens portrait exhibited at the NPG demonstrates his relationship with one of the greatest of all Western artists.
J. Houbraken sculps. Amst. 1743. Signed by J Houbraken on verso in ink.
Engraving, scarce, proof before title. Plate 370 x 235mm. 14½ x 9¼". First state. Slight stain through middle.
Thomas Howard (1585-1646) 14th Earl of Arundel was a prominent English courtier during the reigns of King James I and King Charles I, but he made his name as a Grand Tourist and art collector rather than as a politician. From Thomas Birch's "The Heads of Ilustrious Persons of Great Britain".
Collector's Stamp: Julian Marshall (1836-1903) [Lugt: 1494.]
[Ref: 23986] £320.00
One section of the NPG's exhibition is titled 'Henry Stuart and the Wider World', in which can be found portraits of figures outside of the court who influenced Henry. One of these was Sir Walter Ralegh:
F.H.Van.Hove. Sculp:
[n.d. c.1680].
Etching. Plate 140 x 88mm. 5½ x 3½".
Sir Walter Raleigh, famed naval commander, explorer and author (1552? - 1618).
Ex Collection Norman Blackburn.
[Ref: 18496] £125.00 (£150.00 incl.VAT)
Navy, exploration, foreign politics and religion, all important subjects for the young prince, 'were all areas of interest to the great Elizabethan polymath Sir Walter Ralegh, who was confined in the Tower of London for most of James I's reign, but saw Henry as a potential advocate for his release'. Ralegh addressed treatises to Henry, and although there is no evidence they met, 'there has been much speculation about the level of mutual admiration' between the two.
Christian IV, king of Denmark for over sixty yeas, was Henry's uncle. He visited in England in 1606 and encouraged Henry's military interests. He is shown here in a double portrait with Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange:
[Engraved by R. Dunkarton.]
[London: S. Woodburn, 1813-1814.]
Mezzotint, proof before all letters on india laid paper, 360 x 270mm. 14¼ x 10½".
Joint portrait, of (to left) Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway (1577 - 1648), and Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (1584 - 1648); deer in parkland behind.
Chaloner Smith: undescribed.
[Ref: 18064] £220.00
(This and other engravings by Dunkarton in this post can also be found in the full volume of 'Fifteen Splendid Portraits of Royal Personages' currently in stock.)
Maurice of Nassau (1567-1625), Stathoulder of Holland and Zealand, Prince of Orange, and 'perhaps the foremost general of his age', was (alongside Henri IV of France), Henry's hero among the princes of Europe. Equally, 'Maurice was keen to cultivate Henry as an important future ally', and he even sent the Dutch enginer Abraham van Nyevelt to tutor Henry in the construction of military fortifications:
I.M. Lerch fec: [n.d. c.1620].
Engraving. 160 x 220mm.
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange [1567 – 1625]. General and politician whose strategic and material improvements to the Dutch army led to the repulsion of Spanish forces from Dutch territory.
Collection of the Royal House of Savoy and Italy.
[Ref: 3866] £95.00 (£114.00 incl.VAT)
When Henry fell ill, he was treated by Theodore de Mayerne, 'probably the most famous and admired doctor in Europe during his lifetime.' Mayerne served as Physician-in-Ordinary to Henri IV before emigrating to England after the murder of the French monarch. He became Principal Physician under James I, and as Henry's condition worsened he was called to the Prince's bedside, although he was unable to prevent the Prince's death.
This led to inevitable accusations of malpractice and poisoning against Mayerne, but in response he wrote detailed accounts of the Prince's illness and the treatments he applied. These not only exonerated Mayerne, but have since allowed diagnosis of Henry's illness as typhoid fever.
This print was engraved after a portrait by Rubens then in the collection of the great 18th century doctor and physician Richard Mead:
Ad Tabulam, in Pinacotheca Richardi Mead M.D. asservatam, a P.P. Rubens Eq. Aur: pictam, dekineavit et Sculpt. I.Simon.
[n.d. c.1720.]
Mezzotint. 355 x 254mm. 14 x 10". Cut.
CS: 102: state undescribed. Russell: 102: ii. Schneevoogt: 184.262.
[Ref: 15062] £130.00 (£156.00 incl.VAT)
(all quotations from the exhibition catalogue The Lost Prince: the Life and Death of Henry Stuart by Catherine MacLeod)
