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Painting Captain John Cooke’s Granddaughters

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Painting Captain John Cooke’s Granddaughters captain Cooke  trafalagr legacy %%alt5%% %%alt6%%
Captain John Cooke’s Granddaughters in Blue: The Devonsher Sisters at Donhead Lodge, c.1833
Subject & Medium
Circle of William Egley (1798–1870), English School
Watercolour and gouache on paper, laid on panel
An exceptionally refined early-Victorian family portrait showing the three daughters of Louisa Charlotte Devonsher (née Cooke, 1797–1871), the only child of Captain John Cooke, RN – one of the two British captains killed at the Battle of Trafalgar. Almost certainly painted for the family home, Donhead Lodge, Donhead St Andrew, Wiltshire, it is both an intimate record of domestic affection and a visual monument to one of Britain’s great naval heroes.
Composition & Technique
The three girls are gracefully grouped around a richly carved mahogany scroll-back sofa upholstered in rose-crimson damask, their poses forming a harmonious triangular composition.
The youngest child, about three years old, sits at the centre on the sofa cushion, her rounded features and deeper cornflower-blue gown suggesting tender youth and spontaneity. To the left, a sister of about nine or ten sits demurely with hands folded in her lap, her dress a paler sky-blue. To the right, the eldest (around eleven or twelve) stands easily but proudly at the sofa arm in a more saturated periwinkle tone, her stance quietly authoritative.
All three wear pale blue silk gowns trimmed with fine white lace. The two elder sisters are adorned with blue ribbon chokers bearing small gold lockets and coral bead bracelets, while the youngest, unadorned, embodies the ideal of unspoiled childhood. Each girl holds a blush-pink rose, petals shaded from shell pink to soft carmine these flowers echo the crimson upholstery and gently unify the colour scheme.
Executed in transparent watercolour with delicate gouache heightening, the artist models the faces in translucent pinks and warm ochres, the hair in chestnut and golden curls. The neutral brown-grey ground is almost abstract in its simplicity, pushing the figures forward and bathing them in soft, natural light. The handling is confident yet restrained – a textbook example of the English provincial watercolour school at the transition from the late Regency to the early Victorian period.
The Sitters and Captain John Cooke
The sitters are the three daughters of Louisa Charlotte Devonsher (née Cooke) and her husband Abraham Devonsher of Cheltenham:
• Louisa Cornelia Devonsher (b. c.1822 later Mrs Edward Helsham)
• Augusta Sarah Devonsher (b. c.1823 later Mrs Edward Rolles)
• Sophia Margaret Devonsher (b. c.1830 later Mrs Robert Dwarris Gibney)
Through their mother, these girls were the granddaughters and only direct descendants of Captain John Cooke, RN (1762–1805) and his wife Louisa Hardy (1764–1853).
Born in Devon to a family of landowners and shipowners, John Cooke entered the navy under the patronage of Sir Alexander Hood and was educated at Mr Braken’s Naval Academy, Greenwich. He saw service in the American War of Independence (including the Battles of Rhode Island and the Saintes), and in the French Revolutionary Wars commanded the frigates HMS Nymphe and HMS Amethyst.
In 1805 he was appointed to the 74-gun HMS Bellerophon. At Trafalgar, on 21 October 1805, Cooke fought a fierce close-quarters action with the French Aigle and was mortally wounded by musket fire. He reputedly gave the defiant order “Don’t strike the colours” as he fell – a phrase that passed into naval legend. When his body was searched, an unsent letter was found in his pocket, affectionately mentioning his young daughter Louisa Charlotte and the family dog, Mr Quiz – a poignant fragment of domestic tenderness preserved amid the carnage of battle.
In recognition of his sacrifice, Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund presented his widow Louisa Hardy Cooke with a large silver vase and a pension of £200 per annum, while Louisa Charlotte received a gold medal and a pension of £50 per annum. Louisa Charlotte later settled in Cheltenham, dying there in 1871. In the following generation, her granddaughter Caroline Augusta Rolles donated Captain Cooke’s Trafalgar gold medal and silver vase to the nation, ensuring his public commemoration.
This portrait of Louisa Charlotte’s three daughters forms the private, domestic counterpart to those public honours – the living embodiment of the line for which Cooke gave his life.
Historical Significance
This work is historically important on several levels:
• A rare, fully documented image of Trafalgar’s next generation – the granddaughters of a named captain, shown in their family environment at Donhead Lodge in Wiltshire.
• It embodies the early nineteenth-century shift from public heroism to private virtue: the hero’s courage at sea balanced by the moral, domestic calm of his descendants at home.
• With its direct connection to Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund awards and to the later donation of the family’s Trafalgar relics, the picture acts as a visual bridge between battlefield, commemoration and family memory.
For collectors of maritime history, Trafalgar material, or important British family portraits, this is not just decorative art but a primary visual document of naval heritage.
About the Artist – Circle of William Egley
Although apparently unsigned, the portrait’s refined draughtsmanship and sentiment place it confidently within the Circle of William Egley (1798–1870). Egley, a London-born painter, exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and British Institution and was widely admired for his intimate watercolour group portraits of children and family life.
The present work displays all the hallmarks associated with Egley’s circle: the carefully balanced triangular grouping of figures the harmonious interplay of blue dresses and crimson upholstery a neutral, uncluttered background free from distracting detail and the subtle blend of natural observation and gentle sentiment that characterises early-Victorian domestic portraiture.
While prudently catalogued as “Circle of William Egley”, the quality of handling and compositional sophistication place it at a high level within that orbit.
Signature
Apparently unsigned on the visible surface offered as Circle of William Egley on compelling stylistic grounds.
Framing
Recently and professionally reframed to museum-show standard. A Larson Juhl classic distressed gilt frame gives a period-sympathetic yet crisp presentation with subtle patination the picture is glazed with AR70 low-reflection protective glass, greatly reducing glare and offering enhanced protection for this important work on paper. A new deep black mount with a fine gold border throws the image forward and beautifully complements the blues of the dresses and the warm reds of the upholstery. Ready to hang straight into a serious collection.
Dimensions (Framed)
Width: 42 cm
Height: 38 cm
Depth: 2.5 cm
A well-proportioned piece with strong presence, ideal for a feature wall, study, library or drawing room.
Provenance
By family descent and distinguished collections:
• Louisa Hardy Cooke, widow of Captain John Cooke, RN
• Louisa Charlotte Devonsher (née Cooke)
• Thence by descent within the Cooke–Devonsher–Rolles family until c.1961–62
• Private Collection of Trafalgar Relics, associated with a notable London auction house
• Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Exhibited: Famous Lord Hill Museum
Such a clear chain, anchored in the family of a named Trafalgar captain, is unusually strong for a portrait of this period.
Why This Piece Stands Out
• Beautifully coloured, exquisitely detailed children’s group that enlivens any room.
• Direct and well-documented link to Captain John Cooke, RN, fallen hero of Trafalgar, and to the family home Donhead Lodge.
• Evocative synthesis of naval history, Regency–Victorian domestic life and English watercolour artistry.
• Attributable to the Circle of William Egley, bringing connoisseurial interest and art-historical weight.
• Superb contemporary presentation in Larson Juhl distressed gilt framing with AR70 glass and an elegant black-and-gold mount – ready to hang in a private collection, museum, or historic house setting.
Condition
The watercolour and gouache surface is clean, bright and stable, with excellent retention of the original blues and warm flesh tones. Under close inspection, some foxing with age-consistent toning and tiny specks can be detected in the background – entirely typical for a work of the 1830s and not detracting from the overall effect.
The Larson Juhl frame is in excellent condition, with only the lightest handling marks the newly installed AR70 glass and mount are pristine. Overall, the piece presents beautifully and securely for long-term display.

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Price
£5900.00  UK
$7865.29  USA
6746.06  EU
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For International buyers please contact us before you order as shipping costs are additional please request a shipping quote, also to advise that any import duty taxes due are additional and are payable by the buyer.
For both domestic & International buyers please get in touch for a shipping quote thankyou. Our payment method is by BACS Bank Transfer for UK domestic clients and for International clients payment is preferred by international bank wire transfer. We no longer accept any Online Card or in person card payments due to payment providers charging us and not returning the processing transaction fee even if an order is fraudulent, cancelled or returned. All Item(s) will need to be settled by bank transfer only. We will email you a proforma invoice with our bank details.
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Customs Payment & Brexit
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD operates on a Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU) basis which means that the International buyer is responsible for any import duties, taxes & customs which may be necessary to release an order from international customs.
Following the UK leaving the EU on 1st January 2021 (BREXIT) there have been some changes to customs & duty charges for EU customers. Tax and import duty varies from country to country so we recommend you check with your local tax office to see if any fees will be payable.
If the customer refuses to pay any duty and customs charges and the parcel is returned to sender all shipping charges will be deducted from any refund.
Category Antique Pictures / Engravings / Art > Antique Watercolours Date 1833  William IV Antiques Material Painted Origin English Item code as1013a1287 Status For Sale

SellerCheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd

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Cheshire Antiques Consultant LtdPrivate dealer, by appointment only.
71-75 Shelton Street,
Covent Garden,
London, England
WC2H 9JQ.

Tel : 07494 763382

Non UK callers : +44 7494 763382

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