Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 19

Sir Peter Lely and Studio
Double Portrait of Sir John Rivers 3rd Baronet of Chafford, and Lady Anne Rivers

circa 1662

About the Item

This magnificent grand-scale work, offered by Titan Fine Art, formed part of a collection of family pictures and heirlooms of the Rivers Baronets and their descendants for over 325 years, before it was dispersed by the last in the line in 1988. The work was painted by the most technically proficient painter in England after the death of Van Dyck, and the dominant court painter to Charles II and James, Duke of York, Sir Peter Lely. It is no surprise that for years Lely had no serious rivals, was enormously influential and successful, and one of the country’s most important painters – and his work influenced countless artists over generations. The exquisite carved and gilded auricular frame is an astounding work of art in itself. The sitters in this exquisite double portrait are Sir John Rivers, who succeeded as the 3rd Baronet Chafford in 1657 (c.1638 - c. 1679), and his wife, Lady Anne Hewitt (c.1640-c.1689). They are seated in an outdoor setting beside a fountain modelled as a female figure with water issuing into a scallop-shell. The water, the elaborate sculpted fountain with its scallop-edged bowl, and the open shell in her hand are symbols of fertility - as such they make an appropriate allusion to Lady Anne’s potential as wife and mother, recalling Proverbs, chapter 5, verse 18: “Let thye fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of thye youth”. This reference was realised, as Sir John and Lady Anne produced at least six children; their son George (1665-1734) became 4th Baronet of Chafford. The composition, thus, represents a celebration of marriage and was likely commissioned around the time of the betrothal (the marriage took place 26th Feb 1662 or 1663). The statues in the left margin are 'Youth and 'Old Age' and are a typical form of Memento Mori reminding virile young man that even they will lose their youth and grow old. The Rivers family, originally of Kent, traces its history to Sir Bartholomew Rivers, in the reign of Edward IV. The family included several prominent members including several knights, a Commander in the King's Army, a steward of a ducal estate, a Lord-Mayor of London, and an M.P. John Rivers (c.1659-c.1651) was made 1st Baronet of Chafford in 1622 by King James I. The Chafford estate was the family seat and it remained so until the early 1700s with the death of Sir George Rivers, 4th Baronet (1665–1734), whose sons had all died. The Chafford estate was left to his daughters while the baronetcy passed to nephew John Rivers, 5th Baronet (c. 1718–1743), and then Sir John’s brother, Sir Peter Rivers-Gay, 6th Baronet (c. 1721–1790). Upon Sir Peter Rivers Gay's death the estate passed to his eldest son, Sir Thomas Rivers Gay, 7th Baronet (c. 1770–1805). Sir Thomas, dying in 1805 with no children, bequeathed the estate to his mother Dame Martha Rivers Gay, who managed the estate until 1834 when she settled it on the then Sir Henry Rivers, 9th Baronet (c. 1779–1851) her younger son, before dying shortly thereafter in 1835. Sir Henry had married in 1812 to Charlotte Eales, with whom he had 6 sons and 8 daughters. Upon his death in 1851 the estate passed to his eldest surviving son Sir James Francis Rivers, 10th Baronet (1822–1869). Sir James married Catherine Eastcott in 1867 but died childless in 1869, and the estate passed to his only surviving brother Sir Henry Chandos Rivers, 11th Baronet (1834–1870) but he died a year later in 1870 also childless; with no male heir the Baronetcy was therefore extinguished. The estate was bequeathed, in trust, by Sir Henry Chandos Rivers to Thomas Frederick Inman, a solicitor of Bath, who then managed the estate as a trustee on behalf of Sir Henry Chandos Rivers' sister Katherine Rivers (c.1826-1895). It then passed to Katherine River’s daughter, Katherine Wall (born c.1855), who had also inherited Worthy Park House from her father, George Alfred Ellis Wall (1825-1875). Until 1958 our portrait is known to have hung at Worthy Park House. Upon Katherine Wall’s death, the Rivers estate passed to her daughter, Katherine Eleonora Rivers Fryer (1889-1963), who married Colonel James Alexander Butchart 1877-1853. In 1958 the family sold Worthy Park House but our portrait was loaned to Southampton Museum and Art Gallery. After the death of Katherine and Colonel James, the estate was left to their only son, Charles Bruce Rivers Butchart (1917-2005) and upon Charles’ retirement to a nursing home in 1988, and without heirs, our portrait, along with the residual assets of the Rivers estate were sold, thus ending over 325 years of continual family ownership. Lady Anne Rivers is thought to have been born circa 1640. She was the fourth child of the second marriage of Sir Thomas Hewitt (or Hewett) (1606-1662), 1st Baronet of Pishobury, Herts, and his wife Margaret Lytton (died 1689). Sir Thomas was an English landowner and M.P. for Windsor and upon the English Restoration, he was created a baronet, served as commissioner of militia for the county, and was chosen sheriff of Hertfordshire. Lady Anne had four brother, seven sisters, and one half-sister from her father’s first marriage. She, and her brother George, Viscount Hewett, were coheir of their father’s estate. The precise date of her death is unknown but it was before April 1689. Worthy Park House - The original house on the site was built in 1722. It was bought by Sir Chaloner Ogle, 1st Baronet in 1773. Admiral Sir Charles Ogle, 2nd Baronet inherited the house in 1816. He demolished the west wing and replaced it with a new building, which was completed in 1820. The house was acquired by Samuel Wall, a banker in 1825 (died 1843) and remained in the possession of his descendants, the last being, Charles Bruce Rivers Butchart, who sold the house in the late twentieth century. The sale advertisement listed it as having a “Hall, double drawing room, Esse, dining room, library, extensive offices, 14 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, gardens, farmery and colage; 2 paddocks with road frontage. NEARLY 12 ACRES”. The portrait, with its scale, rich colour, its exquisite draperies, and romantic setting, is an exquisite work of art - and the double portrait format, of this quality, rarely appears on the market. Peter Lely, the son of a Dutch military officer, was born in Germany at Soest in Westphalia in 1618. He studied in Haarlem before moving to London in 1641, and in 1647 he became a freeman of the Painter-Stainers’ Company. Initially, Lely painted landscapes, religious, and mythological scenes, however, he quickly recognised the strength of the English market for portraiture and this is where he turned his attention. He was employed by the Duke of Northumberland, who had the royal children in his care, and he was able to study the Northumberland Collection of works by Van Dyke and Dobson. By the end of the Commonwealth he had became the best known portraitist in England. In 1661 he was appointed Principle Painter to the King and from then on he maintained a busy and successful practise painting the most elite and influential members of the court and everyone of importance. His studio was prolific and he employed many assistants. His success thus meant that he established the basic English portrait style for decades. Lely was a connoisseur and was known for his own fine art collection. By the end of his life he had assembled one the finest non-princely collections in Europe including more than 25 of Van Dyke’s major English works. of Old Masters, including Veronese, Titian, Claude Lorrain and Rubens, and a fabulous collection of drawings, was broken up and sold after his death, raising the immense sum of £26,000. Some items in it which had been acquired by Lely from the Commonwealth dispersal of Charles I's art collections, such as the Lely Venus, were re-acquired by the Royal Collection. Provenance: From the sitters and by descent through the Rivers family, On loan to Southampton Museum and Art Gallery circa 1958-1988, Sold Dreweatts 19 Oct 1988, Sold Gorringes 7 & 8 Sept 2004 [Lot 1114], sold for £38,000, Private collection west England Measurements: Height 178cm x Width 209cm framed (Height 70” x Width 82.25” framed)
  • Creator:
    Sir Peter Lely and Studio (1618 - 1680, Dutch)
  • Creation Year:
    circa 1662
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 70.08 in (178 cm)Width: 82.29 in (209 cm)Depth: 5.91 in (15 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    This painting has passed a strict condition assessment by a professional conservator prior to going on sale. It can be hung and enjoyed immediately.
  • Gallery Location:
    London, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1199111917592
More From This SellerView All
  • Portrait of a Young Gentleman, Pieter Van Der Dvssen; by Jan van Haensbergen
    By Jan Van Haensbergen
    Located in London, GB
    Portrait of a Young Gentleman, Pieter Van Der Dvssen c.1664 Jan van Haensbergen (1642–1705) This charming portrait is an excellent example of late 17th century child portraiture and is from one of the most prolific periods in art history – the Dutch Golden Age. A vast number of artists produced work to fulfil the demands and tastes of a broad Dutch society, and many cities in the Netherlands developed into distinct artistic centres, characterised by style and specialities of subject. The quality of our portrait is similar to the works of the highly specialised ‘fijnschilders’, who were working in Leiden at the time; these artists executed meticulous small-scale paintings. As with the artist’s other works of children, Haensbergen painstakingly recorded many details including a fine depiction of the face, and the surface effects of the materials and the pearl clasps. The young sitter is Walther Bernt Pieter Van der Dussen. He was born into a wealthy noble Catholic family in Delft in 1654. In this portrait he would be around ten years of age, dating the work to circa 1664, which is also the year before the artist’s marriage to Johanna van Heusden. The Van der Dussen family were great patrons of the arts and commissioned a number of major works from eminent artists in Delft & Amsterdam. Van der Dussen died in 1716. The wooded setting, the lamb, and the “picturesque” or “Roman” dress...
    Category

    17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Portrait of a Lady with Crimson Wrap & Fur c.1675 Fine Dutch Old Master Painting
    Located in London, GB
    This exquisite portrait, presented by Titan Fine Art, was painted in the era of London’s Great Fire - a young woman has been depicted wearing the most luxurious attire and a fortune ...
    Category

    17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Portrait of Lady Anne Tipping née Cheke c.1705, English Aristocratic Collection
    By Kneller Godfrey
    Located in London, GB
    Titan Fine Art present this exquisite portrait, that formed part of a historic collection of an English aristocratic family, Lord and Lady Sandys at their magnificent baroque and Reg...
    Category

    18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Portrait of a Gentleman in Scarlet Robe Holding Flowers c.1675, Oil on canvas
    Located in London, GB
    Titan Fine Art present this striking portrait, which was painted by one of the most talented artists working in England during the last half of the 17th century, John Greenhill. Gre...
    Category

    17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Portrait of a Lady in Blue Silk Dress & Crimson Mantle c.1695; by Thomas Murray
    Located in London, GB
    The sitter is elegantly attired in a blue silk dress over a white frilled chemise and a striking crimson mantle. The artist, Thomas Murray, can be described as one of the most successful and talented during the last part of the seventeenth century. It is not surprising that Murray painted the portraits of King William III, Queen Mary, Queen Ann as well as several other high-ranking individuals. The influence of Sir Godfrey Kneller is evident and even expected considering the importance of Kneller, and even though the formula employed for head and shoulders portraits of woman during the period is similar, Murray’s work is distinguishable by a refined and elegant manner, a smooth overall feel, and often, distinctive eyes. Murray is known to have employed not only the same pattern as our portrait but the three distinctive colours (blue, white, red) many times. Thomas Murray was born in Scotland but moved to London to study with a member of the De Critz family. Later he was a pupil of the English portraitist John Riley (1646-1691), who was court painter to King William III and Queen Mary, and was practising as a painter on his own in the 1680s. In 1691 he took over Riley’s studio when that artist died in 1691 and he established a very successful practice. The Rev, James Dalloway accounted that Murray “was remarkable for his personal beauty and for the elegance of his manner” and he was also noted to have been hard working, courteous and popular with his customers. His portraiture retains an individual style and easily recognised but his earlier work is similar to John Closterman, who was a fellow pupil, and many consider this period to be his finest. Murray invested wisely in property and when he died in 1735, he left around £40,000. He had no children and he bequeathed his money to a nephew with instructions that his monument, with a bust, should be erected in Westminster Abbey, provided that it did not cost too much – but his nephew decided that it was indeed “too expensive” and the plan did not proceed. He is buried in St. Paul's, Covent Garden. Murray’s work is represented in many British country houses and private collections, the National Portrait Gallery London, Royal Society and Middle Temple in London, and in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. A good example of 17th century British portraiture...
    Category

    17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Portrait Painting of Lady Mary Capel, Countess of Essex in a Yellow Dress c.1698
    By Sir Godfrey Kneller
    Located in London, GB
    This portrait depicts an elegant, aristocratic women wearing a yellow silk dress with white chemise and a red mantle elegantly draped around her body. By tradition the portrait represents Mary Capel, Countess of Essex. Born Lady Mary Bentinck in 1679, she was the daughter of William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, a Dutch and English nobleman who became in an early stage the favourite of stadtholder William, Prince of Orange (the future King of England) and his wife Anne Villiers (died 1688). Lady Mary's maternal grandparents were Sir Edward Villiers and Lady Frances Howard...
    Category

    17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like
  • 17th century Dutch portrait of a Lady in Red adorned with Pearls
    By Pieter Nason
    Located in Bath, Somerset
    Portrait of a lady, half-length in a feigned oval wearing a ruby coloured silk gown holding entwined strings of pearls across her bodice. Signed 'PNason' and dated 1667 (lower right)...
    Category

    17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Canvas

  • Baroque Italian painter - 17th century figure painting - Mary Magdalene
    Located in Varmo, IT
    Circle of Bernhard Keilhau, known as Monsù Bernardo (Helsingør 1624 - Rome 1687) - Maddalena. 64 x 79.5 cm without frame, 82 x 98 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in ...
    Category

    Late 17th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Antique Italian painter - 18th-19th century figure painting - Oil on canvas
    Located in Varmo, IT
    Bolognese painter (18th-19th century) - Maddalena. 70 x 50 cm without frame, 89 x 69 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a carved and gilded wooden frame. Condition ...
    Category

    Late 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Religious painter (Italian school) - Early 19th figure painting - Virgin Madonna
    Located in Varmo, IT
    Italian painter (early 19th century) - Mater Dolorosa. 37 x 33 cm without frame, 53 x 48 cm with frame. Ancient oil painting on canvas, in an ancient carved and gilded wooden frame...
    Category

    Early 19th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Canvas

  • Fine 18th Century British Oil Painting Mother & Infant Child in Adoration
    Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
    Mother & Child British artist, late 18th century after the painting by Sir Anthony van Dyke oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 20 x 18 inches provenance: private collection, Berkshire,...
    Category

    18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Canvas

  • The Virgin in Adoration - 17th Century Italian Old Master Religious Oil Painting
    Located in Sevenoaks, GB
    A beautiful late 17th century Italian Old Master oil on canvas depicting The Virgin in Adoration, circle of Carlo Maratta. Excellent quality early Italian work, presented in an ant...
    Category

    17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All