Peter Oliver

Possibly commissioned by King Charles I (1600-1649);
Possibly King Charles II (1630-1685);
Baron Hirsch, Vienna, 1896, according to a (now lost) old label;
Ralph Cross-Jackson, London, according to a (now lost) old label

London, Philip Mould and Company, Secret Faces, 2008, no. 13

Although many of the watercolour pigments in this work have remained well preserved, some have faded. The red pigment in the Virgin's cloths and her and Christ's flesh tones, are two such places. There are several areas where the pigment has been lost, most noticeable in the upper centre (in the sky) and a small area at the extreme right hand edge of the vellum. The edges are, in general, rubbed and in the lower right hand corner there is a repair tear. In a raking light, it is possible to see that their are areas that have been rubbed. For its age, circa 1628, the work is well preserved.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present work dates to circa 1628 and is a fine example of a so-called ‘cabinet miniature’. This fascinating strain of miniature painting flourished during the early 17^th Century and was particularly popular during the reign of King Charles I, when the works were displayed in intimate rooms (cabinets) and housed in richly decorated frames. In his 1639 catalogue of the collection of the King, Abraham Van der Doort listed a number of cabinet miniatures depicting various mythological or religious subjects after Italian masters including Titian and Correggio. Peter Oliver had learnt how to paint works such as these from his father, Isaac, whose travels to Italy in the late 1590s had perhaps inspired him to paint in this manner. King Charles’ passion for these works was recorded by Oliver’s contemporary, Edward Norgate who wrote ‘Histories in limning [miniature painting] were strangers till of late years it pleased a most excellent King to command the copying of some of his own pieces, of Titian, to be translated into English limning, which indeed were admirably performed by his servant, Mr Oliver.’¹ Between 1628 and 1639, the King commissioned Peter Oliver to produce ten such miniature copies of his most cherished pictures.

The source of the present work is Titian’s Egyptian Madonna, which during the 1620s was in the possession on the King. Peter Oliver painted two cabinet miniatures of this great masterpiece, the present work and another, which is now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A no. 740-1882). Scholars are divided as to the precise provenance of these two miniatures. One entered the collection of the King, while the other is thought to have remained in the artist's studio. In his inventory, Van der Doort recorded Charles’ miniature as being signed and measuring 6 1/8 by 9 3/8 inches. Although the dimensions of the present work tally precisely with those given in the Van der Doort entry, it is unsigned, whereas the V&A version is signed but is slightly smaller in size.

There has been further speculation as to whether the present lot might have entered the Royal Collection upon the restoration of Charles II. For, soon after his return to England, the new King is said to have visited Mrs Oliver, now Peter’s widow, who ‘presented to him many pictures – including duplicates of some he had made for Charles I.’² This, like the earlier conundrum, can perhaps never be proven, however whatever the case, the present picture is a remarkable survival from early Stuart England and was painted by perhaps the finest exponent of the cabinet miniature tradition.

1. G. Reynolds, English Portrait Miniatures, Cambridge 1988, p. 33
2. Ibid., pp. 33-34