Sir John Harpur, 2nd Bt (1616-1669)

British (English) School. Oil painting on canvas, Sir John Harpur, 2nd Bt (1616-1669), British (English) School, to the right is an hour glass and to the left is an inscription 'I.H./Dec 19/1669/A 53' Half-length portrait of a man, holding a bunch of bay leaves over a skull with his right hand. He wears a square white collar and black gown. His dark hair is worn long and loose. To the right is an hour glass and to the left is an inscription 'I.H./Dec 19/1669/A 53'(inventory card). Sir John was buried in Calke Church where his portrait hung as his memorial until removed in the nineteenth-century. His hand rests on a skull, a symbol of death, while the winged hour glass in the background and the watch and chain in the foreground allude to the brevity of life anf the spped of time passing (House Guide, last revised edition 1996). Calke Abbey, Derbyshire (Accredited Museum)