Saturday 17 November 2018

John Vanderstein at Queen's College, Oxford. Part 3. The Statues on the West Front of the Library. Queen Henrietta Maria.





John Vanderstein at Queen's College, Oxford.

Part 3. 

The Eight Life Size Statues on the West Front of the Library.
c. 1696.

Queen Henrietta Maria (1609 - 69).




One of Eight Statues in niches on the ground floor on the west front of the Library at Queen's College - looking from North to South.

Queen Henrietta Maria (1609 - 69) Queen consort of Charles I. She requested the King to grant advowsons to Fellows of Queen's - allowing them to take up a position in a parish church and also to marry!

Sir Joseph Williamson, (1633 - 1701), Fellow of Queen's College. Founder of the Royal Society.

Bishop Thomas Barlow, (1601 - 1691). Fellow of Queen's College, Bishop of Lincoln.

Archbishop Thomas Lamplugh, (1615 - 91). Fellow of Queen's College, Archbishop of York.

Robert Eglesfield, (c 1295 - 1349). Founder of Queen's College in 1341.

Edward III, (1312 - 77).

Queen Philippa.(1314 - 69). Queen Consort of Edward III.

Charles I; 

I am very much indebted to Dr Graeme Salmon, Curator of Pictures at Queen's College, Oxford for making me welcome at Queen's and for making this work possible.



This blog entry is part of a much larger work investigating and recording the 17th and 18th Century portrait sculpture at Oxford. This project was suggested to me by Dana Josephson of the Bodleian Library, Oxford who is currently in the process of cataloguing the portraits at the Bodleian and to whom I extend my heart felt thanks.


Henrietta Maria was Queen Consort of England, Scotland, and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I. She was mother of his two immediate successors, Charles II and James II/VII.

It is difficult to judge the condition of these statues - they have recently been conserved by Cliveden Conservation and given a perhaps, in my opinion ill advised shelter coat of copperas (ferrous sulphate). This has had the duel effect of turning them a rather bright orange and obscuring the finer detail of the carving.

It has also obscured any restorations































All photographs above the authors own.


For the conservation work at Queen's College see 
Queens College Library Insight -








For Comparison.
Queen Henrietta Maria.
Cast by Hubert le Sueur.
Bronze.
West Front.
Canterbury Quad.
St John's College, Oxford.


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