Portrait of Henrietta Hyde, Countess of Rochester, by Peter Lely and Studio

Portrait of Henrietta Hyde (née Boyle), Countess of Rochester, (1646-1687) three quarter length, wearing an amber coloured silk gown, with a gold thread  embroidered blue mantle, seated in an interior.

Oil on canvas in a Lely frame with the Hornby Castle inventory number 60 attached to the reverse.

Provenance:
By descent through the Dukes of Leeds, Hornby Castle, Yorkshire;
Christie's, London - The Property of the 10th Duke of Leeds Will Trust, 30th October,
2014, Lot 106. 
Private collection Guernsey.

Hornby Castle, Catalogue of Pictures, London, 1898, p. 5, no.60.
Historical and descriptive catalogue of pictures belonging to His Grace The Duke of Leeds, London, 1902, p. 24, no. 60.
 
Henrietta was born in Wiltshire, to Sir Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Cork and Elizabeth Boyle, Countess of Cork. In 1665, she married Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, son of Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and Frances Aylesbury. They had four children. As sister-in-law of Anne Hyde, the Duchess of York she was appointed as governess to her daughter, Princess Anne (the future Queen) between 1677 and 1682.

Like most of the Boyle dynasty, who in the space of two generations had become almost all-powerful in the south of Ireland, Henrietta was strong-minded and acquisitive, and could be ruthless in asserting her rights. During the last two years of her life, when her husband was Chief Minister to his brother-in-law King James II, Henrietta took full advantage of his power to claim every possible privilege. She clashed bitterly with her husband's niece, the future Queen Anne, over who should have the best apartments in Whitehall Palace. Anne, who could herself be a formidable opponent, complained bitterly of her aunt's "peevishness" to her.

Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680) became Principal Painter to King Charles II in 1661 and was commissioned to paint eleven celebrated courtesans and ladies of noble birth of the court in restoration England. A striking portrait of Henrietta Hyde which Lely painted in around 1665 forms part of this collection which initially hung in Whitehall Palace but was later moved to Windsor Castle, hence giving the collection its name of 'The Windsor Beauties'. The collection were recorded as being at Hampton Court Palace by 1835.

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This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Condition report