Lot 486
A PORTRAIT MINIATURE OF MARY OF ORANGE
MANNER OF SAMUEL COOPER 1609-1672
Auction: Day Two | Thursday 20 August from 10am | Lots 199 - 555
Description
The oval half-length portrait, on vellum, of Mary of Orange, in a blue and white dress with pearl necklace
Dimensions
4.4 x 3.6cm
Provenance
With D S Lavender Antiques.
Sworders, Fine Art, 4th April 2023, lot 40
Private Collection of a Gentleman
Footnote
Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (1631–1660)
Born into one of Europe's most distinguished royal dynasties, Mary was the eldest daughter of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France, with illustrious ancestry that included Anne of Denmark and Henry IV of France. In 1642 she became the first English princess to be granted the title Princess Royal, a distinction created by her father in emulation of the French royal court.
At just eight years of age, Mary was betrothed to William II, Prince of Orange, and the marriage, solemnised in 1641, cemented the political alliance between the Stuart monarchy and the House of Orange. She was the sister of both Charles II and James II, and through the birth of her only son, William III, continued the Stuart bloodline.
Her Protestant son, William III of Orange, led the Glorious Revolution of 1688, deposing his Catholic uncle and father-in-law, James II, and ascending the English, Scottish and Irish thrones alongside his wife, Mary II. In this way, Mary, Princess Royal, became the vital dynastic link between the Stuart monarchy and the constitutional settlement that reshaped Britain.
Samuel Cooper (1609-1672)
Nephew of John Hoskins, Cooper is regarded as one of the finest English miniaturists of the 17th century. Accepting commissions from both sides of the Civil War, many examples now form part of institutional collections, with several in the Victoria and Albert Museum, including the Duke of York, later James II (P.45-1955).