Oliver Cromwell

Sitterback to top

• Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), Lord Protector of England. Sitter associated with 220 portraits.

Artistback to top

• Robert Walker (died 1658), Painter. Artist associated with 128 portraits, Sitter associated with 3 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Cromwell was a country gentleman who became a soldier, statesman and finally Lord Protector of Great Britain. As MP for Huntingdon and then Cambridge, he was an outspoken critic of Charles I and 'much hearkened unto'. His military skills and God-fearing tenacity were decisive factors in the Parliamentarian victory in the Civil War. Cromwell was prominent among those who first treated with, and then executed the king in 1649. This portrait is thought to date from that year and shows Cromwell wearing a type of armour which is unlikely to have been worn in battle but instead designed as a symbol of chivalric virtues. He holds a baton, the symbol of high military command.

Linked publicationsback to top

• Audio Guide
• Cooper, John, Great Britons: The Great Debate, 2002, p. 59
• Cooper, John, Oliver the First: Contemporary Images of Oliver Cromwell, 1999, p. 21
• Cooper, John, A Guide to the National Portrait Gallery, 2009, p. 21
• Foskett, Daphne, Samuel Cooper, 1974 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 15 March - 15 June 1974), p. 131
• Piper, David, Catalogue of Seventeenth Century Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery, 1625-1714, 1963, p. 92
• Piper, David, Catalogue of Seventeenth Century Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery, 1625-1714, 1963, p. 92
• Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery: An Illustrated Guide, 2000, p. 62
• Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 62
• Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 155

Subjects & Themesback to top

• Double portraits
• Highlights tour
• On display at the Gallery
• Servants, slaves and attendants
• Stuarts and Civil War tour
• War and peace tour