Charles I Insulted by Cromwell's Soldiers
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| Charles I Insulted by Cromwell's Soldiers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Paul Delaroche |
| Year | 1836 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 300 cm × 400 cm (120 in × 156 in) |
| Location | National Gallery, London |
Charles I Insulted by Cromwell's Soldiers is an oil painting by the French artist Paul Delaroche, depicting Charles I of England taunted by the victorious soldiers of Oliver Cromwell after the Second English Civil War, prior to his execution in 1649. Completed in 1836, it is thought to be one of Delaroche's greatest masterpieces. It was displayed as part of the Bridgewater Collection in London, although it was latterly thought to have been lost when, during The Blitz of 1941, a German bomb struck close to Bridgewater House, causing shrapnel damage to the canvas in the ensuing explosion. In 2009 it was rediscovered in Scotland in an unexpectedly good condition, having been rolled up and stored after the war, but recorded in the intervening years as badly damaged or destroyed. After a partial restoration it went on display in the National Gallery in London in 2010, in an exhibition re-appraising Delaroche's work. After the exhibition, it was to be fully restored.
Charles I Insulted features Charles I, the king of England, who had by 1648 lost the Second English Civil War fought against Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army, after the Battle of Preston. By January 1649, he was being put on trial for treason, and on 30 January, he was beheaded.
The painting depicts Charles in the days before his execution, being bullied and taunted by Cromwell's defiant troops, one of whom is blowing pipe smoke in his face.[1][2][3] The deposed king remains calm, holding a book which he appears to have been reading.
Ownership
Delaroche's Charles I Insulted was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere,[3] who was known as Lord Francis Leveson-Gower until 1833 when, following the death of his father, he was created the first Earl of Ellesmere, inheriting Bridgewater House in London from his bachelor great uncle, Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater.[4] The family line of the Earls of Ellesmere became the Dukes of Sutherland when, in 1963, John Egerton, 5th Earl of Ellesmere, succeeded to the title of Duke of Sutherland on the death of the 5th Duke of Sutherland with no male heir in the elder line.[4] As of its rediscovery in 2009, the painting remained privately owned by the present Duke, Francis Egerton, 7th Duke of Sutherland.[3][5] The 7th Duke was the 6th Duke's cousin and heir to the Dukedom, since the 6th Duke had no children himself.[4]
