Live Auction 21052Ombersley Court: The Collection of Lord and Lady Sandys
CORNELIS JOHNSON (LONDON 1593-1661 UTRECHT)
Lot 126

CORNELIS JOHNSON (LONDON 1593-1661 UTRECHT)

Portrait of a lady of the Betenson family, half-length, in a black dress, black cap and veil and flat white collar

Closed29 November 2023

Price Realised

GBP 7,560

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CORNELIS JOHNSON (LONDON 1593-1661 UTRECHT)
Portrait of a lady of the Betenson family, half-length, in a black dress, black cap and veil and flat white collar
oil on canvas
30 ½ x 24 ¾ in. (77.5 x 62.8 cm.)
inscribed 'Ætatis Sua. 70' (upper left)
in an 18th century running pattern frame
Please note that 100% of the hammer proceeds from this auction will be paid to the Sandys Trust, registered charity number: 1168357, with the exception of limited deductions towards sale costs across the auction which cannot be accurately calculated at this time, capped at a total of £10,000.

(Presumably) by descent in the Betenson family to,
Albinia, Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven, née Farrington (c.1689-1745), and by descent to her son,
Lord Robert Bertie (1721-1782), and by inheritance to his wife,
Lady Robert Bertie (1719-1798), and by inheritance to her great-niece,
Mary, Marchioness of Downshire and 1st Baroness Sandys (1764-1836), and by descent to her second son,
Lieutenant-General Arthur Hill, 2nd Baron Sandys (1792-1860), and by inheritance to his younger brother,
Arthur Marcus Sandys, 3rd Baron Sandys (1798-1863), and by descent at Ombersley Court, Worcestershire.

Specialist note

The Betenson family were relatives of Lord Robert Bertie, who married Lady Mary Bertie (see lot 129), the great-aunt of Mary, Marchioness of Downshire. Although the exact identity of the sitter is unclear, her jewellery and costume suggest that she is a widow. The painting probably dates to 1640-3, just before Johnson moved to Middelburg after the outbreak of the English Civil War. Sir Oliver Millar called the portrait 'unusually full and direct...a most sensitive piece of characterisation' (Millar, op. cit., p. 17).

We are grateful to Professor Karen Hearn for her assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.