"Portrait Of Lady Diana Cecil, Countess Of Elgin C.1638, Oil On Panel, Manor House Provenance"
Portrait of a Lady Diana Cecil, Countess of Elgin c.1638Attributed to Theodore Russel (1614-1689)
This picture formed part of a historic collection of an English aristocratic family, Lord and Lady Sandys at their magnificent baroque and Regency Grade-I listed family home, Ombersley Court. The house was among the most fascinating survivals of its kind in this country. The atmospheric interiors were distinguished above all for the works of art associated with two key moments in national history and, more specifically, to the roles of Colonel the Hon. John Russell in the Civil War and the reign of King Charles II and of Lord Arthur Hill, later 2nd Baron Sandys, in the Peninsular War. The collection was acquired or commissioned over five centuries and remained at Ombersley Court until its recent sale, the first in 294 years. This painting hung in The Great Hall (see photo).
This charming portrait is an example of the type of small-scale panel portraits, often of splendid beauties of the time, that became fashionable from about the first quarter of the seventeenth century. The sitter has been depicted wearing a low-cut silk dress with the wide billowing sleeves typical of the late 1630’s. The simplicity of the ensemble is reinforced by the absence of lace on either the collar or cuffs. At this fashion moved away from complicated layers of fabrics to an understated elegance of plain silk (satin and taffeta were most popular) with only a couple of focal points as accessories. However, obligatory for any respectable woman, pears are shown in abundance, as a necklace, on the dress attire, and pear-shaped earrings called ‘unions excellence’ reflecting the difficulty of finding perfectly matched pearls of such large size. They could range up to 20 millimetres in diameter. There is a splendid display of gold, diamond and pearl jewellery which is an obvious sign of her wealth.
The subject is thought to be Diana Bruce née Cecil, 1st Countess of Elgin (c.1603-1654). The physiognomy and features strongly correlate to a portrait of the countess by Cornelius Johnson (1593-1661), painted circa 1638, at Kenwood House, London. Another painting from Ombersley Court, also with Titan Fine Art, is contemporaneous to this and is thought to represent the countess’s husband, Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin (1599-1663) – it appears to have derived from Cornelius Johnson’s portrait of the Earl, of circa 1638, also at Kenwood House. During the 1630’s Johnson painted a number of portraits, obviously influenced by Van Dyke. Here, Theodore Russel, who worked in the studios of both Van Dyle and Johnson, and later specialised in small scale reproductions of his master’s works, appears to have modelled the head, with the striking large dark eyes, on Cornelius Johnson, and the attire on Anthony van Dyke. Theodore Russel and Cornelius Johnson also had a family connection as it is thought that Russel’s step-mother was a sister of Johnson.
Diana Cecil, Countess of Oxford (1596–1654), later Countess of Elgin, was an English aristocrat. She was probably the middle daughter of the three daughters of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter and Elizabeth Drury. Her first husband, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, died in battle only 18 months after their marriage in 1624. She married her second husband Thomas Bruce (1599-I663) in 1629, becoming the Countess of Elgin in 1633. Her portrait was presumably painted at a similar time as the companion portrait of her husband, the Earl of Elgin. She died in 1654, outlived by her husband and leaving no children. A large monument exists of the countess in her burial shroud at Ailesbury Mausoleum, Bedfordshire.
The work has been well cared for over its life, which spanning almost four centuries, and having recently undergone a treatment to remove an obscuring discoloured varnish, it can be fully appreciated, and attributed to Theodore Russel.
Once owned by Evesham Abbey, the manor of Ombersley was acquired by the Sandys family in the early 1600s, when Sir Samuel Sandys, the eldest son of Edwin Sandys, Bishop of Worcester and later Archbishop of York, took a lease on the manor, before receiving an outright grant in 1614. The present house, Ombersley Court, dates from the time of Samuel, 1st Lord Sandys, between 1723 and 1730. The house itself is a fine example of an English Georgian country house set in rolling countryside and surrounded by Wellingtonias, planted to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo by Arthur Hill, 2nd Baron Sandys, who played a distinguished part in the battle and was one of the Duke of Wellington’s aides de camp. The Duke also stayed in the house and in the Great Hall, was the Waterloo banner which was brought to the house by Sir Arthur Hill, aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington, who succeeded his mother, the Marchioness of Downshire as 2nd Lord Sandys. Further Waterloo memorabilia are kettle drums from battle. The family had a strong tradition of military and political service, dating back to the 17th century, and this was also reflected in the fine collection of portraits and paintings in the house. In short, Ombersley represented a vital aspect of British history. The house and more especially the collection were of the greatest historical importance. Houses that have remained in the possession of the same family for as many as three centuries have become increasingly rare.
Through this portrait, collectors have a chance to acquire a piece of British history and an evocative vestige of a glittering way of life, which is now gone.
Presented in a fine period frame.
Theodore Russell, or Roussel, was born in London in 1614. His father came from Bruges to England and was the Royal Stuart jeweller. His apprenticeship was spent in the studio of his uncle, Cornelius Johnson, with whom he lived for about nine years. Sometime after 1632, he is said to have worked as an assistance to Van Dyck. He executed numerous copies of portraits by his famous master and other notable painters, also painting original works. He is particularly remembered for his portraits of Charles II at Woburn Abbey and James II at the Palace of Holyrood. His son, Antony Russel (c.1663–1743) was also a portrait-painter and is said to have studied under John Riley. Several of his copies were in the Royal Collections, and among the nobility.
Provenance
Richard Hill, 7th Baron Sandys (1931-2013), at Ombersley Court, Worcestershire
Literature
J. Grego, Inventory of Pictures: Portraits, Paintings, etc., Ombersley MS., 1905, where listed in the Grand Staircase.
ONM / 1 / 2 / 7, journal entry for a visit to Ombersley Court, 25 August 1950, Oliver Millar Archive, Paul Mellon Centre, London, p. 21, as 'Manner of Russel'.
Ombersley Court Inventory, June 1963, annotated Ombersley MS., as 'School of Cornelius Jansen', where listed in the Store Rooms.
Ombersley Court Catalogue of Pictures, undated, Ombersley MS., p. 6, as 'Cornelius Johnson', where listed in the Central Hall.
Measurements: Height 48cm, Width 41cm framed (Height 19”, Width 16” framed)
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