5 OF 433 
The Family of Sir Robert Vyner
5 of 433 portraits matching 'family'
Share thisThe Family of Sir Robert Vyner
by John Michael Wright
oil on canvas, 1673
57 in. x 77 in. (1448 mm x 1956 mm)
Purchased, 1983
Primary Collection
NPG 5568
Sittersback to top
- Bridget, Duchess of Leeds (1662-1734), Daughter of Sir Thomas and Lady Hyde, later Lady Vyner; wife of 2nd Duke of Leeds. Sitter in 1 portrait.
- Charles Vyner (circa 1666-1688), Son of Sir Robert Vyner. Sitter in 1 portrait.
- Mary (née Whitchurch), Lady Vyner (died 1674), Former wife Sir Thomas Hyde, and later wife of Sir Robert Vyner. Sitter in 1 portrait.
- Sir Robert Vyner (Viner), Bt (1631-1688), Goldsmith and banker; Lord Mayor of London. Sitter in 3 portraits.
This portraitback to top
The sitters are Sir Robert (1631--1688) and his wife Mary (née Whitchurch; d. 1674), the wealthy widow of Sir Thomas Hyde, whom he married in 1665; Bridget Hyde (1662-1734), Lady Vyner's daughter by her first marriage; and Charles Vyner (1666-88), their only son. The family is shown in the garden of their house, Swakeleys, in Middlesex, which according to Samuel Pepys was 'a place not very moderne in the gardens nor the house, but the most uniforme in all that I ever saw - and some things to excess'.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Audio Guide
- Gibson, Robin, The Face in the Corner: Animal Portraits from the Collections of the National Portrait Gallery, 1998, p. 30
- Macleod, Catharine; Alexander, Julia Marciari, Painted Ladies: Women at the Court of Charles II, 2001 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 11 October 2001 to 6 January 2002), p. 33
- Ribeiro, Aileen; Blackman, Cally, A Portrait of Fashion: Six Centuries of Dress at the National Portrait Gallery, 2015, p. 98
- Robin Gibson, Pets in Portraits, 2015, p. 54
- Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery: An Illustrated Guide, 2000, p. 71
- Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 71
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 725
- Simon, Jacob, The Art of the Picture Frame: Artists, Patrons and the Framing of Portraits in Britain, 1997 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 8 November 1996 - 9 February 1997), p. 60, 155
- Various contributors, National Portrait Gallery: A Portrait of Britain, 2014, pp. 90 - 91
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1673back to top
Current affairs
Controversially, James, Duke of York marries a Catholic, Mary of Modena, daughter of Alfonso IV, Duke of Modena.Parliament passes anti-Catholic legislation, the Test Act, which excludes recusants from public office. Officials are required to take an oath and deny the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.
Art and science
Poet laureate, John Dryden, influenced by the war against Holland, writes Amboyna, a tragedy about the Amboyna massacre,1623, when English sailors were murdered by Dutch traders in Indonesia.The Chelsea Physic Garden is established by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to train apprentices in plant identification.
International
War with Holland culminates in the Battle of Texel which effectively exhausts both sides, but results in a strategic Dutch victory. With tension mounting between the allies, lord of the Admiralty, Prince Rupert, blames the unsatisfactory outcome on French admiral d'Estrees, and poor provisions.Tell us more back to top
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See this portrait
On display in Room 7 at the National Portrait Gallery