Sworders
Los 558
Jacob Huysmans (Flemish, c.1630-1696)Portrait of a young nobleman as King David, playing a harp, a sheep beside him, possibly the young Winston Churchill, died 1688, aged 20oil on canvas104 x 128cm, in a gilded frameProvenance: Acquired by the vendor's late husband at Christie's, London, in 1975;from a Kensington town house.By family tradition the sitter is believed to be Winston Churchill, younger brother of the first Duke of Marlborough, who died in battle aged 20. Winston Churchill died in 1672 at the age of 20 at the Battle of Sole Bay near Southwold, Suffolk. His brother, the future Duke, was also present at the Battle.The symbols in the painting are connected to the sitter's early death and are part of an apotheosis with the Harp of the Angels, the Lamb for the virtues of innocence, purity and humility and the Heavenly Crown. References to the sitter's death in battle could be the heavenly crown with the crossed swords and his quasi Roman decorative armour which became so fashionable on church monuments of the period.Condition report: Oil on canvas which has been lined. The paint layer has a slightly uneven surface and has suffered from wear and abrasion. There are some large passages of overpaint, mainly reinforcing darker, worn areas of the background such as the green leaves. The sitter’s face has a few small touches and some reinforcement in the shadow on the neck. The varnish is thick, glossy and fairly even. There are some yellowed drip marks across the surface and light dust layer. The gilded surface of the frame is worn and darkened. Christie's stencils to the reverse - 168 TY or 16S TY (or may be a V ?) and also 34 PE to the reverse
