Joan Carlile or Carlell or Carliell
(c. 1606–1679),
was an English
portrait painter
Portrait Painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to represent a specific human subject. The term 'portrait painting' can also describe the actual painted portrait. Portraitists may create their work by commission, for public and pr ...
. She was one of the first British women known to practise painting professionally.
Before Carlile, known professional female painters working in Britain were born elsewhere in Europe, principally the
Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
.
Biography
Joan Carlile was born as Joan Palmer, the daughter of William Palmer, an official in the
Royal Parks
The Royal Parks of London are lands that were originally used for the recreation, mostly hunting, of the royal family. They are part of the hereditary possessions of The Crown, now managed by The Royal Parks Limited, a charity which manages ...
[ and his wife, Mary.]
Carlile copied the works of Italian masters
Since ancient times, Greeks, Etruscans and Celts have inhabited the south, centre and north of the Italian peninsula respectively. The very numerous Rock Drawings in Valcamonica, rock drawings in Valcamonica are as old as 8,000 BC, and there ar ...
and reproduced them in miniature
A miniature is a small-scale reproduction, or a small version. It may refer to:
* Portrait miniature, a miniature portrait painting
* Miniature art, miniature painting, engraving and sculpture
* Miniature (chess), a masterful chess game or probl ...
. She was also an accomplished painter in her own right.
In July 1626 she married Lodowick Carlell or Carlile, Gentleman of the Bows to Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
and a poet and dramatist,[ who, as keeper/deputy ranger at ]Richmond Park
Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks, and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, C ...
during the Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
period, had accommodation at Petersham Lodge, where they lived from 1637 to 1663. The couple moved to Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
in 1654 but returned to Petersham two years later after the restoration of the monarchy, when Lodowick was given the post of "Keeper of the house or Lodge and the Walk at Petersham". They returned to London in 1665.
Lodowick died in 1675 and was buried in the churchyard of Petersham Parish Church
St Peter's Church is the parish church of the village of Petersham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is part of the Diocese of Southwark in the Church of England. The main body of the church building dates from the 16th centur ...
(which was then in Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
and is now in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
). Joan, who was then living in the parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. There has been a church on the site since at least the mediev ...
, died in 1679, and was buried beside her husband on 27 February.
They had three children, Penelope (who married John Fisher, a lawyer of the Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...
in 1657), James (who was married to Ellen; they had two sons, James and Lodowick) and Edmund.
Works
Carlile's portrait ''Lady Dorothy Browne and Sir Thomas Browne
''Lady Dorothy Browne and Sir Thomas Browne'' is an oil on panel painting attributed to the English artist Joan Carlile, and probably completed between 1641 and 1650. The painting depicts English physician Thomas Browne and his wife Dorothy.
Sub ...
'' is held at London's National Portrait Gallery. The National Portrait Gallery's portrait of Sir Thomas Browne is also attributed to her.
In 2016, the Tate
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
acquired Carlile's ''Portrait of an Unknown Lady'' which she painted between 1650 and 1655.
A painting from circa 1648 of Elizabeth Murray, Countess of Dysart with her husband and sister has been attributed to Carlile and is held by the National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
. It is on display at Ham House
Ham House is a 17th-century house set in formal gardens on the bank of the River Thames in Ham, south of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The original house was completed in 1610 by Thomas Vavasour, an Elizabethan cou ...
. Another painting of the Countess of Dysart, attributed to Carlile, is held by the Thirlestane Castle
Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Wate ...
Trust.
''The Carlile Family with Sir Justinian Isham in Richmond Park'' is held at Lamport Hall
Lamport Hall in Lamport, Northamptonshire is a fine example of a Grade I Listed House. It was developed from a Tudor Manor but is now notable for its classical frontage. The Hall contains an outstanding collection of books, paintings and furnitu ...
in Lamport, Northamptonshire
Lamport is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. The village is on the A508, about south of Market Harborough and north of Northampton. Nearby is Lamport Hall. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population w ...
. Also known as ''A Stag Hunt'',[ ''The Stag Hunt'',] or ''Stag hunt in Richmond Park'', it was exhibited at the Tate Gallery
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
in 1972.[
Her full-length portrait of a lady, believed be Lady Anne Wentworth, in a white dress and a purple mantle, is in a private collection.]
A miniature portrait, attributed to Carlile, described as ''A Lady, Wearing White Dress With Brooch At Her Corsage...'', was auctioned by Sotheby's
Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...
in London in 2005.
See also
* Mary Beale
Mary Beale (; 26 March 1633 8 October 1699) was an English portrait painter. She was part of a small band of female professional artists working in London. Beale became the main financial provider for her family through her professional work â ...
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlile, Joan
1600s births
1679 deaths
17th-century English painters
17th-century English women
17th century in London
17th-century women artists
British Baroque painters
Burials at St Peter's, Petersham
English portrait painters
English women painters
Miniature painting
Painters from London
Petersham, London
People who have lived in Richmond Park
Year of birth uncertain