Thomas Ryder (1746 - 1810)
Sir Edward Coke (1552-1634), late 18th century
Engraving, 28.3 x 20.5 cm (11 1/8 x 8 1/16 in.)
This engraving is a portrait of the sixteenth-century English judge, Sir Edward Coke. He is shown at bust-length in an illusionistic frame. Edward Coke is depicted as a young man with an unwrinkled high forehead and deep set, widely spaced, dark eyes framed by thick eyebrows. His long prominent nose leads to a full lower lip and a projecting chin, accentuated by his closely cropped, pointed beard and long mustache. His short curly hair is tousled. He wears an enormous, pleated, white ruff around his neck and his shirt has puffed sleeves. In the engraving, his oval portrait is in a complicated illusionistic frame. Within a wall of stone blocks, it is centered in an inset oval niche that narrows into a slightly smaller rectangular recession. Below the portrait, in this recession, a set of weighing scales have fallen haphazardly and a small sword points out and to the right. A large royal mace is propped at a diagonal with its crown and cross top resting on the right side of Coke’s portrait.
Long Gallery
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.