Portrait of George Monck, First Duke of Albemarle (1608-1670)

DateProbably 1665-1700

After work by Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680)

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed: 87 x 52in. (87 x 52in.) and Framed: 97 x 60 7/8in.

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Preston Davie

Object number1954-1067

DescriptionA full-length portrait of a man turned three-quarters to the left, his feet at near right angles to one another. He has long, dark brown or black, curling hair, dark eyebrows, brown eyes, and a thin dark moustache. He wears the insignia of a Knight of the Garter, a long, pale blue mantle with a dark red hood partly visible at the back, the heraldic shield of St. George's Cross encircled by the Garter worn on the near (proper left) shoulder. His neck is encircled by the gold collar of the Garter, tied by long gold tassels that dangle nearly to the knees in the front. The George is suspended from the collar. His shoes are buff and tied with white ribbons. He points with his proper right hand to the lower left corner of the composition, where body armor is shown on the floor and, leaning against it, a baton. His proper left arm is hidden by the mantle but appears to be hand-on-hip. A column is visible behind the subject along the right side of the painting. A red drape cuts diagonally through the composition from UL to LR. In the distance at middle left, two ships are seen on the water.

The 4 3/4-inch carved and gilded frame has not been examined thoroughly as of this cataloguing; the elements may be married.
Label TextDescribed as having a talent for making himself indispensable, George Monck also possessed an imperturbable temper and inviolable sense of discretion, qualities that served him well through the turbulent mid seventeenth century. He was a brilliant soldier and fought alongside Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Dunbar, for which service he was made commander-in-chief in Scotland. (Later, Cromwell appointed him governor of Scotland). In addition, he was a highly skilled and capable naval officer, particularly distinguishing himself in the First Anglo-Dutch War. His loyalty to Cromwell never faltered.
When Richard Cromwell came to power after his father's death on 3 September 1658, however, Monck recognized the younger man's inability to govern. After initially biding his time, Monck was appointed commander-in-chief of parliamentary forces and, on 3 February 1660, he entered London. By now in communication with Charles II, he accepted the latter's Declaration of Breda (which was largely based on Monck's own recommendations). A new parliament met on 25 April 1660 and, on 1 May, voted restoration of the monarchy.
Charles II rewarded Monck suitably, making him gentleman of the bedchamber, Knight of the Garter, and Master of the Horse, then raising him to the peerage with the titles of Baron Monck, Earl of Torrington and Duke of Albemarle. In 1663, he was one of eight Lords Proprietors given title to a huge tract of land in North America, the present-day American states of North and South Carolina.

ProvenanceThe portrait is said to have "hung for over a century at Lypett Hall, Gloucestershire, England, the residence of Judge Coxe. Thereafter it passed into the possession of Major Shepheard, of the 'Old Manor,' Somersetshire, England, a distant relative by marriage of the Coxe family." [Then-owner Preston Davie to William G. Perry, 1 April 1937]. The preceding appears to have been information passed to Davie by his source, presumably a dealer, possibly The King's Gallieries (65 King's Rd., Chelsea, SW3), a firm that advertised the portrait in the April 1929 issue of CONNOISSEUR magazine (see photocopy in file). [Note, however, that The King's Galleries ascribed the work to Kneller, whereas Davie's correspondence indicate his belief that it was attributable to Lely].
In 1937, Preston Davie loaned the portrait to CWF. On 9 July 1954, Preston Davie gave the portrait to his wife, Eugenie Mary Davie. On 17 December 1954, Mrs. Davie gave the portrait to CWF.