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Print, Side view of the Second Carriage of Lord Castelmaine built in 1686 by Andrea Cornely after his own designs
This is a Print. It was designed by Andrea Cornely and drafted by Giovanni Battista Lenardi and engraved by Arnold van Westerhout. It is dated 1687–1700 and we acquired it in 1945. Its medium is engraving on off-white laid paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.
A carriage fit for an Earl
Roger Palmer, the first Earl of Castlemaine, was an English writer, diplomat, and courtier who sat in the House of Commons. Palmer was a devout Roman Catholic and a staunch supporter of the Stuart Monarchy. Palmer’s loyalty was so committed that he even acquiesced to the appointment of his wife, Barbara Villiers as Charles II’s favored mistress. It is in honor of his wife’s services in the King’s bedchamber that Palmer received his title as Earl of Castlemaine, and not for his service in the King’s court.
Following James II’s accession to the throne in 1686, Castlemaine was appointed Ambassador to the Vatican and sent to Rome on diplomatic errands for the crown. After the Glorious Revolution in 1688 however, he was imprisoned in the Tower and accused of high treason for his embassy to Rome the year before. Castlemaine was a committed patron to the arts. His collection was so valuable, that it was auctioned off on April 20, 1689 for £10,000 in order for him to post bail.
A formal, published account of Castlemaine’s entry into Rome as English ambassador is preserved in John Michael Wright’s illustrated work, An Account of His Excellence Roger Earl of Castlemain’s Embassy… to his Holiness Innocent XI (1688). In An Account, there are engravings depicting the numerous works of art he commissioned to celebrate and adorn his entry. Included in these works are ten elaborate carriages.
As the European roads were in a state of disrepair, and traveling by carriage was far from comfortable, the primary function of these carriages was ostentation. Carriages like the ten commissioned by Castlemaine were used a display of magnificence. This print shows the intricacies of the carriage itself.
Fully figured putti, acanthus leaves and scrolls adorn the side (1945-17-6-a) and front (1945-17-6-b) of the carriage.
The back (1945-17-6-c) of the carriage features a group of four children and a seated woman that rises over the rear axle. The woman is carrying a bracket with four crowns. It would likely have been entirely gilded, giving the carriage the appearance of a large-scale metalwork object. In the context of his embassy to Rome, these carriages acted as moving propaganda for the English monarchy, specifically James II. They were a tribute both to the power of the crown as well as to Castlemaine himself.
This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled A carriage fit for an Earl.
It is credited Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. John Innes Kane.
Its dimensions are
14 x 24.8 cm (5 1/2 x 9 3/4 in.)
Cite this object as
Print, Side view of the Second Carriage of Lord Castelmaine built in 1686 by Andrea Cornely after his own designs; Designed by Andrea Cornely; Engraved by Arnold van Westerhout (Flemish, 1651 – 1725); Drafted by Giovanni Battista Lenardi (Italian, 1634 – 1704); France; engraving on off-white laid paper; 14 x 24.8 cm (5 1/2 x 9 3/4 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. John Innes Kane; 1945-17-6-a
