The portrait presented here is an 18th century version of the well known bust image made popular by the paintings of Samuel Cooper and Sir Peter Lely and was probably finished around 1708, the 50th anniversary of Oliver Cromwell’s death. The face is depicted fairly coarsely and with a certain gritty realism which if anything most closely resembles the death mask of 1658. However the overall composition is clearly taken from the portrait by Cooper that was copied by Lely. The inherent realism of Cooper’s image was given a certain “toughness” by Lely whose image appears on the whole slightly uglier. This in turn appears to have been the inspiration for the painter here, who seems to have accentuated the furrowed brow and lined face. Grim and determined was probably the look desired, and as an item of respect at the anniversary of his death, these were qualities that the artist, no doubt, clearly hoped to convey.

The portrait though is not a direct copy. The armour is different in design around the neck and Cromwell’s moustache is evidently heavier in form than seen on the more famous images. It is possible that this was worked up from memory, thus accounting for these slight differences, but whatever the reason the end result is bold and striking.