Silent Companion: Woman with a Sword (possibly Vigilance)
Dutch School
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1655 - circa 1670
Materials
Oil on wood
Measurements
575 mm (Depth); 1299 mm (H); 662 mm (W)
Place of origin
Holland
Order this imageCollection
Snowshill Manor and Garden, Gloucestershire
NT 1336274
Caption
This painted wooden figure sitting alone shows a woman holding a sword and could represent the virtue Vigilance, although accompanied by a benign-looking puppy. These type of pictures are not really paintings but form part of the furniture, called dummy boards or ‘silent companions’ and are supported by a stand. They were usually found in entrance halls of houses, as greeters, or in front of fireplaces and acted as firescreens.
Summary
Oil painting on wood (dummy board), Silent Companion: Dutch School, 17th century.Painted on board showing a lady wearing a long, gold dress and lacy cape, seated in chair with sword, and dog at her feet. Supported by a folding stand. Repaired by Charles Wade. In notebook no.1, page 10 (1340945.1) Charles Wade refers to: 'Nadir 35. Painted wooden Screen figure A lady in costume of CII period. Ringlets, pearls & Ostrich feathers. Old gold coloured dress, seated in a vermillion red leather chair, with brass studs, a small black & white dog with vermillion collar. fr. Little Compton Manor.'
Provenance
From Little Compton Manor; given to the National Trust with Snowshill Manor in 1951 by Charles Paget Wade
Makers and roles
Dutch School, artist
References
Wade, 1944: Charles Paget Wade, Contents of Snowshill Manor. Volume 1 Ground Floor, 1944, page 10