She was one of Suffolk’s richest women but died aged just 29 – now a rare portrait of Anne Clopton has gone on display for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The portrait of the heiress of Kentwell Hall in Long Melford dates back nearly 400 years. It was acquired by the heritage service at Moyse’s Hall Museum back in 2005 but the painting was already damaged and in need of restoration. After briefly being displayed it was put into storage to protect it from further deterioration until work to restore and protect it could take place.
Now thanks to a £2000 grant from the Woodsmansterne Art Conservation Award, the portrait has been restored to look as it did when first painted.
Born in 1612, the daughter of Sir William and Ann Clopton, Anne was an orphan by the time she was seven. As the sole heiress of Kentwell Hall, she was one of the richest young women in Suffolk.
In 1626, when she was only 14-years-old, Anne married the High Sheriff of Suffolk, MP Sir Simonds D’Ewes. The portrait of the same year is thought to mark either her engagement or the marriage itself to Sir Simonds who was also a barrister, historian and diarist.
Anne gave birth to nine children but all but one of them died during infancy. And in 1641, when she was just 29, Anne caught smallpox and died.
Now her portrait features in the Styled mini exhibition at the West Suffolk Council run Moyse’s Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds. Styled celebrates 10 of the council’s 17th century female portraits as pieces of historic fine art. It also looks at the luxury and decoration of 17th century costumes worn by the women portrayed with recreations of some of these by artist Juliet Lockhart, also on display. Styled also details the work carried out by Polly Saltmarsh of Saltmarsh Paintings Conservation to make the 398-year-old Anne Clopton portrait as good as new.
Cllr Ian Shipp, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture at West Suffolk Council said: “We are delighted to be able to display this extremely rare 17 century portrait of this young Suffolk heiress as part of our Styled exhibition. Our history and heritage is important to us and to our communities across West Suffolk. That’s why we are continuing to invest to deliver a fascinating mix of arts, culture, leisure, history and heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of our West Suffolk communities, helping them thrive while also attracting visitors to the area as well.”
Styled is running alongside the museum’s collaborative exhibition of work by internationally acclaimed illustrator David Hughes. For more on Moyse’s Hall including opening times and ticket details visit www.moyseshall.org