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'The Emblems of England' (Oliver Cromwell)

3 of 62 portraits by Francis Barlow

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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'The Emblems of England' (Oliver Cromwell)

attributed to William Faithorne, after Francis Barlow, after Unknown artist
stipple and etching, 1658
7 3/4 in. x 5 1/2 in. (198 mm x 139 mm) paper size
Reference Collection
NPG D2233

Sitterback to top

  • Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), Lord Protector of England. Sitter associated with 224 portraits.

Artistsback to top

  • Francis Barlow (active 1648-died 1704), Painter and etcher. Artist or producer associated with 62 portraits.
  • William Faithorne (circa 1620-1691), Engraver and draughtsman. Artist or producer associated with 720 portraits, Sitter associated with 4 portraits.
  • Unknown artist, Artist. Artist or producer associated with 6578 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Pro-Cromwell propaganda, alluding to his achievements as Lord Protector. Cromwell is seen triumphing over the morally corrupt influences of the court with the assistance of divine guidance and military power.

Linked publicationsback to top

  • Cooper, John, Great Britons: The Great Debate, 2002, p. 63 Read entry

    This presents Cromwell as bringing peace and stability to the three kingdoms. The angel Fame trumpets his glory, the Dove of Peace flies overhead, while beneath his feet he crushes the Whore of Babylon - a metaphor for the Roman Catholic Church whose seductive immodesty had attracted Charles I. Biblical references surround him, in word and image, mainly alluding to peace emerging from war, for example, swords into ploughshares, spears into pruning hooks.

  • Cooper, John, Oliver the First: Contemporary Images of Oliver Cromwell, 1999, p. 42

Subject/Themeback to top

Events of 1658back to top

Current affairs

Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell dies from pneumonia at Whitehall on 3rd September. His effigy lay in state at Somerset House, the ceremony based upon that of James I. Cromwell's son, Richard Cromwell is nominated Lord Protector.
Granddaughter of James I, Princess Sophia marries Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover.

Art and science

Puritan divine, Richard Baxter, publishes A Call to the Unconverted, a core text of evangelicalism.
Playwright, William Davenant stages his innovative The Cruelty of the Spaniards in Peru, relating to Oliver Cromwell's anti-Spanish policy. Presented as a musical, it circumvents the ban imposed during the Interregnum on dramatic performances.

International

James, Duke of York, fighting alongside his brother, Henry, Duke of Gloucester, commands a Royalist contingent allied to Spanish forces against the armies of England, Holland and France at the Battle of the Dunes. Their defeat ends the prospect of a Royalist invasion of England with Spanish support.

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