Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.378
Gallery Label:
Cornelius Johnson was born to a family that had immigrated to London in the sixteenth century but traced its roots back to Cologne in Germany. It is not known where Johnson trained as an artist, and it is possible that he traveled to mainland Europe to receive instruction. Like other artists active in London during the second decade of the seventeenth century, Johnson followed the fashion for depicting his sitters within a feigned oval, signing his name either in full (as in this picture) or by using his initials (as on the portrait of Sir Alexander Temple nearby) in the bottom right of the painting. Johnson would continue this practice throughout his long career, and later in life, after he left England for the Netherlands, he described himself variously as “of London” and “of Cologne.”\n\n Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016