The Cholmondeley Ladies
Encyclopedia
The Cholmondeley Ladies is an early 17th century British oil painting
depicting two women seated upright and side by side in bed, each holding a baby. Measuring 886 by 1723mm, it was painted on a wooden panel
, probably in the first decade of the 17th century. According to an inscription in gold lettering to the bottom left of the painting, it shows "Two Ladies of the Cholmondeley Family, Who were born the same day, Married the same day, And brought to Bed the same day."
At first sight, the two women and their two babies appear almost identical, each mother wearing white clothes decorated with elaborate lace
and jewellery, and each baby swaddled
in a scarlet christening robe. On closer inspection, the details of the clothing of each pair and their eye colours differ. The women may be sisters, and they are often thought to be twin
s due to their close physical resemblance, but the different eye colours - one blue, one brown - mean that are not identical.
The artist is unknown, but the work is thought to have been painted near the Cholmondeley family
's estates in Cheshire
. The pose is not known to have been used in any other British painting, but was frequently seen in contemporary tomb sculpture.
The painting was in the collection of Thomas Cholmondeley, the third son of Sir Hugh Cholmondeley
and his wife Lady Mary Cholmondeley (née Holford), who was an ancestor of Baron Delamere
. John T. Hopkins (1991) suggests that the portrait shows two daughters of Sir Hugh and Lady Mary Cholmondeley - Lettice, first wife of Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet
(and mother of Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet
), and Mary Calveley (died 1616), wife of George Calveley.
It was presented to the Tate Gallery
by an anonymous donor in 1955.
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
depicting two women seated upright and side by side in bed, each holding a baby. Measuring 886 by 1723mm, it was painted on a wooden panel
Panel painting
A panel painting is a painting made on a flat panel made of wood, either a single piece, or a number of pieces joined together. Until canvas became the more popular support medium in the 16th century, it was the normal form of support for a painting not on a wall or vellum, which was used for...
, probably in the first decade of the 17th century. According to an inscription in gold lettering to the bottom left of the painting, it shows "Two Ladies of the Cholmondeley Family, Who were born the same day, Married the same day, And brought to Bed the same day."
At first sight, the two women and their two babies appear almost identical, each mother wearing white clothes decorated with elaborate lace
Lace
Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was...
and jewellery, and each baby swaddled
Swaddling
Swaddling is an age-old practice of wrapping infants in swaddling cloths, blankets or similar cloth so that movement of the limbs is tightly restricted. Swaddling bands were often used to further restrict the infant...
in a scarlet christening robe. On closer inspection, the details of the clothing of each pair and their eye colours differ. The women may be sisters, and they are often thought to be twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
s due to their close physical resemblance, but the different eye colours - one blue, one brown - mean that are not identical.
The artist is unknown, but the work is thought to have been painted near the Cholmondeley family
Marquess of Cholmondeley
Marquess of Cholmondeley is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for George Cholmondeley, 4th Earl of Cholmondeley. Each Marquess of Cholmondeley is a descendant of Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
's estates in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. The pose is not known to have been used in any other British painting, but was frequently seen in contemporary tomb sculpture.
The painting was in the collection of Thomas Cholmondeley, the third son of Sir Hugh Cholmondeley
Hugh Cholmondeley (soldier)
Sir Hugh Cholmondeley was an English soldier.Cholmondeley was the second son of Richard Cholmondeley and Elizabeth Brereton...
and his wife Lady Mary Cholmondeley (née Holford), who was an ancestor of Baron Delamere
Baron Delamere
Baron Delamere, of Vale Royal in the County of Chester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1821 for Thomas Cholmondeley, a former Member of Parliament for Cheshire...
. John T. Hopkins (1991) suggests that the portrait shows two daughters of Sir Hugh and Lady Mary Cholmondeley - Lettice, first wife of Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet
Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet
Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1629. He is an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Westminster....
(and mother of Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet
Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet
Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet was an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Westminster. He was the son of Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet and spent his childhood at Eaton Hall, Cheshire...
), and Mary Calveley (died 1616), wife of George Calveley.
It was presented to the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
by an anonymous donor in 1955.