10 July 2014 - 19 October 2015
Room 5
Free
Recent investigation of the portrait of Sir Arthur Hesilrige, using
the latest infra-red technology, has revealed what appears to be a
hidden portrait of the Parliamentarian commander Oliver Cromwell
underneath. The reasons for this change are obscure. Was the artist
re-using an old canvas that he had been unable to sell? Or did
Hesilrige, a Parliamentarian army officer and committed republican, have
Cromwell’s portrait repainted as one of himself when the two fell out
over Cromwell’s assumption of the role of Protector? This display puts
the Gallery’s portrait of Cromwell alongside that of Hesilrige and, for
the first time, shows the infra-red image of the hidden portrait.
© National Portrait Gallery, London
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