Portrait of An Unknown Boy II

To complete the trilogy, this boy, painted by Cornelius Johnson is wearing a doublet so similar to that of the unknown Fownes portrait that it could almost be the same garment. It appears to be made of silk and has slashes in the sleeves and body to show the shirt beneath. The slashes look like they have been edged in black bobbin lace. He has again left the doublet unfastened from just below the chest to show more detail in his shirt. He has some expensive looking cutwork lace on his falling band too. This picture is kept by the National Trust at Antony in Cornwall. He is not the Earl of Effingham by the way. The title wasn’t created until 1837.

Portrait of an Unknown Boy

In a grand setting. Painted in the style of Edward Bower, this is very similar to the portrait in the previous post. The suit worn by the boy is smarter and less showy in style, though still expensively decorated with braid, or lace as it was confusingly called in the 1640s. The sleeves are only slashed along the inside seam this time and, although the lower doublet buttons are unfastened, here there are no lace decorations to pull through. Still, the bobbin lace looks good and is matched again on the cuffs and band. I really like the looped gold decoration on his breeches legs, just above an expensive looking pair of white leather boots. Notice also that the gold decoration on his suit is matched by the hat band around the wide-brimmed example on the table. This picture is in the National Trust collection.

Unknown Member of the Fownes Family

Painted by Edward Bower in 1638. The Fownes family owned and lived in Dunster Castle in Somerset and were broadly Parliamentarian in sympathy. This chap is rather nattily dressed in black doublet and breeches. The sleeves of the doublet have been slashed in several places and the front is unbuttoned from halfway down so that the lacy decoration on the shirt can be pulled through. He’s accessorised with a large lacy falling band, matching cuffs and boothose, and embroidered sword baldrick and high-heeled soft boots. Nice point decoration at the bottom of his breeches legs too. The portrait still hangs in the castle.