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Cromwell, Protector of the Vaudois
painting
Brown, Ford Madox
Europe, United Kingdom, England, London, Fitzroy Square
1877
1901.12
First floor: Victorian
oil paint
86 x 107 cm
Cromwell, Protector of the Vaudois 1877
Ford Madox Brown 1821 - 1893
Oil on canvas
In Brown's depiction of Oliver Cromwell
he champions the Protestant cause in Catholic Europe.
We see him dictating a letter to the Duke of Savoy
to protest at his massacre of Swiss Protestants.
The blind man on the left is the poet John Milton,
who was then Latin Secretary to Cromwell.
The scribe is Andrew Marvell, then Joint Secretary
but now better known for his poetry.
Brown carefully researched each of these portraits.
Cromwell's role was reassessed by Victorian historians.
His legacy of democratic government was appreciated
when Victorian England remained politically stable
whilst disruption and revolution rocked much of Europe.
Presented by Lieutenant-Colonel H J Candlin 1901.12
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