Countryside La Vie Magazine

Kings, Queens and Revolutionaries Compton Verney, Warwickshire 7 June – 14 December 2008

Portraits from Chequers presents a rare opportunity to view a select group of historically significant works from the official country residence of Prime Ministers since 1921. The portraits, which have not been seen in public for almost a century, are displayed within the British Portraits Gallery, alongside Compton Verney’s paintings of Edward VI, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

Included in the display at Compton Verney are Charles I and Henrietta Maria both by Anthony Van Dyck; The Children of Charles I after Van Dyck; Lord and Lady Lee at Chequers by Philip Alexius de László; John Pym, a miniature by Samuel Cooper; Lady Mary Grey attributed to Hans Eworth; Elizabeth Claypole, Daughter of Oliver Cromwell by Jacob Huysmans; Mary I after Antonis Mor; Oliver Cromwell attributed to Robert Walker; Queen Elizabeth’s Locket Ring, containing portraits of herself and her mother, Anne Boleyn; Lady Margaret Beaufort and James I both by unknown artists.

Chequers is one of Britain’s most famous houses, yet as the country seat of the Prime Minister, it is not open to the public. It has an important collection of paintings, furniture and decorative arts. The house, which was built in the sixteenthcentury, remained in the ownership of a single family, passing through the female line. It was eventually taken on a long lease by Sir Arthur Lee, later Lord Lee of Fareham, who was seeking a country retreat, and he finally purchased the property in 1917.

The post World War 1 era brought about a new breed of politician; one who did not possess the country houses of previous prime ministers to entertain foreign dignitaries or relax from the affairs of state. Following discussions with the then Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, Chequers was given to the nation as a country retreat for the serving Prime Minister, as a result of the Chequers Estate Act of 1917, initiated by Lord and Lady Lee who had extensively restored the property. Since then, Chequers has become pivotal in the public and private lives of British Prime Ministers’, and has become the setting for many significant moments in political history.

Portraits from Chequers provides rare public access to a number of key works normally only on private display, and also signals the start of a series of interventions within Compton Verney’s six permanent collections.

Contact: Ina Cole, Communications Manager, Compton Verney, Warwickshire, CV35 9HZ

Tel: 01926 645540; Email: ina.cole@comptonverney.org.uk