Who was the 'Master of the Countess of Warwick'?
February 5 2023
Picture: Duke of Bedford
In the later 16th Century there was an artist active in England who painted portraits in a distinctive style, but whose name has eluded us. They came to be known as 'the Master of the Countess of Warwick' after a portrait of the Countess of Warwick at Woburn Abbey (above) became the 'type' name for a group of portraits suggested by Roy Strong as all coming from the same hand. Now, an exhibition of this artist's work has been assembled at Compton Verney, and, from documentation, a name has been suggested as to who this 'Master' might be; Arnold Derickson. I had always hoped it would turn out to be a 'Mistress'.
In the Guardian, Jonathan Jones reviews the show and gives it glowing praise. The show runs until 7th May, and you can find booking details here. There is mention of a catalogue, but I can find no further details on either how to order it, or the curators involved in this exciting work of art historical detection.
The Master's/Derickson's style is quite identifiable; polished noses, tight lips, and somewhat buggy eyes. They quite often surface without any attribution at all. We found a nice one, of Mary Tichborne, when I was working for Philip Mould & Co (who I see are sponsoring the Compton Verney show). This portrait of Sir Richard Hawkins (below) in the collection of the National Maritime Museum is also, in my opinion, by him.
