About this lot
Description
Isaac Oliver (Anglo-French, c. 1565-1617) Portrait miniature of Thomas Fones (d. 1638) (later Fownes), Mayor of Plymouth watercolour on vellum, oval, 5cm (2in) high
Provenance: The sitter Thomas Fones (died 1638) Mayor of Plymouth 1612 and 1619, who married secondly Joanne Hele, By direct descent to the Reverend Thomas Fownes (died 1808) who married secondly Ann Vannam Somerville (died 1812) Their third son John Yarde Fownes (1772-1839) who married secondly in 1805, Hannah (died 1814) elder daughter and co heir of Edward Curtis of Mardyke House, Clifton, Bristol, Their elder son, Edward Curtis Fownes (1806-1892) who married in 1848 Mary Margaret Haythorne, Thence by descent to Mrs Winifred S Parsons (nee Haythorne) mother of the late owner, Sir Richard Edmund Clement Fownes Parsons (1928-2016) Other Notes: Born in Rouen, Isaac Oliver came to London in 1568 with his Huguenot parents Peter and Epiphany Oliver to escape the Wars of Religion in France. He then studied miniature painting under Nicholas Hilliard. In 1602 he married, as his second wife, Sara, daughter of the portrait painter Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder (c.1520-c.1590) and his wife Susannah de Critz. His work is at Windsor Castle. The sitter in the present miniature, Thomas Fones, was Mayor of Plymouth in 1620, the year the Mayflower sailed. Judging by the shape and style of the sitter's collar, this work could be dated to circa 1612-1615. The vellum support may have been mounted on a playing card, such as a suit of hearts, for instance. Heart cards were popular whereas the suit of spades was avoided as it was deemed negative. Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver, 21 February - 19 May 2019, is the first major exhibition on Tudor and Jacobean portrait miniatures in the UK for over 35 years. The exhibition will bring together key works from the National Portrait Gallery and major loans from public and private collections, including miniatures that haven't been seen in public in the UK since the early 1980s, to showcase the careers of the most skilled artists of the period, Nicholas Hilliard (1547? - 1619) and French born Isaac Oliver (c.1565 - 1617). Sir Richard Edmund Clement Fownes Parsons (1928-2016) This sale includes selected items from the collection of the late Sir Richard Parsons, removed from his Norfolk home. Sir Richard Parsons was a career diplomat, and through the 1970s and 1980s he was successively British Ambassador to Hungary, Spain and Sweden. During the late 1960s and early 1970s he had postings to Ankara and Lagos, as well as periods in London. In 1976 he was appointed ambassador to Hungary. He was the Ambassador to Sweden from 1984 to 1987, after which he left the Diplomatic Service and settled in King's Lynn, Norfolk. In his retirement he focused on his writing and at the town's literary festival gave talks about his diplomatic adventures. Notable pieces from this collection are the present lot and the wonderful Madonna and Child by the Master of San Miniato (lot 106). Also of note are the vibrant watercolours by his grandfather, Alfred Parsons, RA (lots 85-88) which demonstrate the family's artistic leanings in addition to their passion for collecting. Lots 59, 62, 63, 65, 83, 99, 130, 134, 161-165 are also from this estate. In our March 2019 Fine Art sale we will offer a Grand Tour portrait of his ancestor Edward Curtis of Mardyke House, Hotwells, Bristol, by Marco Benefial (Italian, 1684 - 1764) together with the embroidered silk waistcoat the sitter is wearing (please refer to the advertisement at the beginning of this catalogue).
Unframed - there is foxing on the left side of his face and also some discolouring at the tip of his nose- possibly old restoration. The loss on the left margin is self evident. Overall, however, it is in fair condition considering its age.
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