Ewbank's
Los 2434
English Provincial School, 1612, Portrait of Mrs Smyth and her young son, Inscribed and dated 1612, Oil on panel, 66 x 53 cm.The portrait almost certainly depicts the wife and son of John Smyth (1567-1641), historian and author of The Berkeley Manuscript.The work was published under the title The Berkeley Manuscripts: The Lives Of The Berkeleys, Lords Of The Honour, Castle And Manor Of Berkeley, In The County Of Gloucester, From 1066 To 1618, With A Description Of The Hundred Of Berkeley And Of Its Inhabitants.Smyth wrote the manuscripts for the Berkeley family who retain their seat at Berkeley Castle to this day, in an unbroken line of more than 850 years.The Manuscript details the lives of people that Smyth himself would have known and is credited with providing an extraordinary insight to the lives and times of the 1500s and 1600s.Smyth also completed two other important works: The Lives of the Berkeleys and Men and Armour for Gloucestershire in 1608.The child in this portrait is John Smyth the Younger (1611-92), who followed his father as steward of the Gloucestershire lands of Lord Berkeley and continued his practice of writing and archiving papers. The inscription above the childs head in the portrait notes that he is pictured in his first year, which tallies with the 1612 date inscribed opposite.For the practical purpose of toilet training, from the mid 16th to late 19th century, it was the custom of well-to-do families to dress all young children in gowns like this until the age of six or seven when they were breeched or first put in trousers.Smyth the Youngers writing shed light on how families were reluctant to take sides in the Civil War.J.H. Cooke, referred to on the auction catalogue cutting pasted to the verso, was James Herbert Cooke, Land Steward to the Right Honourable Lord Fitzhardinge, the illegitimate grandson of the 5th Earl of Berkeley. Cooke was also the Local Secretary of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, founded in 1876, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.In 1873 he published the book A Sketch of the History of Berkeley, and was author of other books too.He is credited with writing a number of articles for the society, including On the Great Berkeley Law-Suit of the 15th and 16th Centuries, A Chapter of Gloucestershie History (1878-79), and Wanswell Court, and its Occupants for Seven Centuries (1881). The articles appear in Volumes 3 and 6, respectively of the societys Transactions and both draw on the Smyth papers.Provenance: A label on the reverse suggests the picture belonged to a J. H. Cooke Esq, and was included in his collection sale held on March 24th 1886, lot no 120.Condition Report: General wear to the picture, consistent with age, with small surface scratches across much of the board. Chipping and cracks to back of the board and edges. Approximately 1cm deep indentation along all edges of the board, indicating previous framing. Long, thin vertical crack from top to bottom of the left-hand side of the board, with accompanying vertical section of canvas lining to reverse of the picture, indicating repair work.
