Attributed to Franciszek Smiadecki
Charles II, King of England (1630-85), wearing black robes and the sash and star of The Order of the Garter, c. 1665
Oil on copper
Oval, 2 5/8in (67mm) high.
Philip Mould & Co.
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com Silver frame with pierced scroll surmount. Very little is known about Smiadecki, who was born in either Poland or Russia....
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com
Silver frame with pierced scroll surmount.
Very little is known about Smiadecki, who was born in either Poland or Russia. He is thought to have been tutored by Alexander Cooper in Sweden and worked primarily in oils on copper or vellum. The work of Smiadecki has only really gained the deserved recognition in the last fifty years, and like many other portrait miniaturists working in oils, he did not always sign his work, making the possibility for study limited.
His characteristic style, with the sitter’s features heavily defined, has aided the identification of other portraits of Charles II, including a large work on copper sold through Christies in 1984 depicting the king half-length facing left with the Garter star half visible on his shoulder. Another, sold by Philip Mould & co. in 2012 was dated to circa 1670-75, based on the appearance of the king, which related most closely to oil portraits by Sir Peter Lely (1618-80) of this date. Like the present example, the portrait was not a direct copy of any extant oil painting of the king and seemed to rely more closely on contemporary engravings (see, for example, NPG D29282 in the National Portrait Gallery, London) or to drawings by artists including William Faithorne (circa 1620-1691) (see the close stylistic connection with Faithorne’s engraving of the king, dated to the 1650s, NPG D22695). It is possible that Smiadecki can be more convincingly associated with the circles of draughtsmen and engravers than with the court oil painters of the period.
Silver frame with pierced scroll surmount.
Very little is known about Smiadecki, who was born in either Poland or Russia. He is thought to have been tutored by Alexander Cooper in Sweden and worked primarily in oils on copper or vellum. The work of Smiadecki has only really gained the deserved recognition in the last fifty years, and like many other portrait miniaturists working in oils, he did not always sign his work, making the possibility for study limited.
His characteristic style, with the sitter’s features heavily defined, has aided the identification of other portraits of Charles II, including a large work on copper sold through Christies in 1984 depicting the king half-length facing left with the Garter star half visible on his shoulder. Another, sold by Philip Mould & co. in 2012 was dated to circa 1670-75, based on the appearance of the king, which related most closely to oil portraits by Sir Peter Lely (1618-80) of this date. Like the present example, the portrait was not a direct copy of any extant oil painting of the king and seemed to rely more closely on contemporary engravings (see, for example, NPG D29282 in the National Portrait Gallery, London) or to drawings by artists including William Faithorne (circa 1620-1691) (see the close stylistic connection with Faithorne’s engraving of the king, dated to the 1650s, NPG D22695). It is possible that Smiadecki can be more convincingly associated with the circles of draughtsmen and engravers than with the court oil painters of the period.
Provenance
With Dowdeswell & Dowdeswell, London, no. 192; Christie’s, London, 11 July 1984, lot 55; Christie's, London, 21 October 1997, lot 1,where acquired by Bernadette and William M.B. Berger, Denver, Colorado; Sotheby’s, London, 5 July 2017, lot 156; Private collection, UK.
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