New profile pic, oil on canvas portrait, I love this painting

...Nope, the painting isn't of myself, it's of a local historical figure named Sir Walter Raleigh.

Here's the full painting,



The painting is titled 'Pipe Dreamer' and is part of a collection commissioned by a local organization called Heritage Jersey.

(Heritage Jersey are responsible for maintaining many of our local historical buildings and a large collection of historical artifacts, I'm a proud annual membership holder).

It was painted in 2006 by a Scottish artist named Ronnie Heeps, measures 107cm x 75cm (42'' x 29.5''), and is oil on canvas (and I need it, lol)

The painting itself hangs with others within the walls Mont Orgueil Castle, otherwise known as Gorey Castle here in Jersey, British Channel Islands.

*Three German observation points are visible at the top of the castle, these were added during the WW2 occupation of the Channel Islands





The castle deserves a thread of its own, to be fair, it's an incredible place!

The frame that the painting sits within is special in itself, with ornate carving and old clay pipes embedded within - these clay pipes were discovered within the grounds of the castle after excavations (British TV program Time Team did a special here, too).

This is the best photo I've been able to get that shows the frame and pipes/bits of pipe,



A little about the guy in the painting, Sir Walter Raleigh, he was an interesting chap;

Sir Walter Raleigh(1552 – 1618) was Governor of Jersey from 1600-1603.

An aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, and explorer, Raleigh was born to a Protestant family in Devon, the son of Walter Raleigh and Catherine Champernowne.

Little is known for certain of his early life, though he spent some time in Ireland, taking part in the suppression of rebellions and participating in two infamous massacres at Rathlin Island and Smerwick. He rose rapidly in Queen Elizabeth I's favour, being knighted in 1585.

...The Governorship of Jersey was not a reward to Raleigh for his services to Queen Elizabeth. Rather he seems to have fallen out of favour towards the end of her reign and looked upon service in Jersey as a way of escaping from the attention of his opponents at Court.

...He attended Court sittings, and it is said that he smoked his pipe at this time, a habit which did not go down well with islanders. Nevertheless, the crop began to be grown in the island but some 20 years after Raleigh's departure and order was made forbidding its sale, and subsequently growing it was banned, although these orders do not appear to have had instant effect.

...In 1594 Raleigh heard of a "City of Gold" in South America and sailed to find it, publishing an exaggerated account of his experiences in a book that contributed to the legend of El Dorado.

...[In 1616 he conducted a second expedition in search of El Dorado]. This was unsuccessful and the Spanish outpost at San Thomé was ransacked by men under his command. After his return to England, Raleigh was arrested. After a show trial held mainly to appease the Spanish after Raleigh's attack of San Thomé, he was beheaded at Whitehall.

[Paragraphs reorganised for consistency]

More here for anyone interested - IslandWiki

Some more pieces of Ronnie Heeps work available for viewing at the following links, including some of the other more esoteric paintings commissioned by Jersey Heritage;

ArtUK.Org

SaatchiArt

Maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I fell in love with that painting and a couple of others that day, out of my budget though lol

Cool painting.

Though, he looks very feminine, which isn't really a big deal, except that he has a pair of steel balls hanging from his left ear.

originally posted by: StallionDuck
Cool painting.

Though, he looks very feminine, which isn't really a big deal, except that he has a pair of steel balls hanging from his left ear.

Those be pearl ear rings, man!

Have you never seen Highlander? Ramirez was rocking them too!



(That doesn't really help, does it, lol)

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Yeah but Ramirez was suffering from Monorchism. It looks like he only has one... lol

originally posted by: MerkabaTribeEntity
...Nope, the painting isn't of myself, it's of a local historical figure named Sir Walter Raleigh.

Here's the full painting,

That puff of blue smoke reminds me that Sir Walter was a prolific Trumper and had the royal court in stitches !!

He still got hung though...er, beheaded...funny word that too.

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

I like it-- a very cool painting!

I've been researching him and other characters of Elizabeth's England, and his last few years were very tragic. Worse yet for his wife (who lost her husband and son in a short span to violent deaths). The state sent her his (Sir Walter Raleigh's) embalmed head after they executed him, and she kept it wrapped in a velvet bag for the remainder of her life.

I wonder if the name of the painting is in reference to this (from Wiki, sorry would prefer a more scholarly source):

Having been one of the people to popularise tobacco smoking in England, he left a small tobacco pouch, found in his cell shortly after his execution. Engraved upon the pouch was a Latin inscription: Comes meus fuit in illo miserrimo tempore ("It was my companion at that most miserable time")

en.wikipedia.org...

(For anyone interested, here is an interesing article about a group of thinkers Raleigh frequented called "The School of Night")
www.marlowe-society.org...

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

I love the frame and I love that he's rocking a churchwarden pipe. Allegedy their name originated from actual churchwardens that provided security for churches at night, you know, to keep out the riff raff. It was long so that they could stand at a window and the bowl would be outside. Raleigh popularized tobacco in Britain. It's amazing so many of those pipes in the frame appear intact. I would LOVE to smoke one of those clay pipes.

I'm a pipe fan and have a couple smokable pipes that are nearing a century old. I have a few made in London, a couple from Italy, and some good ol' corn cobs from the US. My favorite is actually a small briar sailors pipe made in America. It's a compact 1/2 turn pipe that rests comfortably on the beard. Very easy to hold in the teeth while doing tasks.

Cool new profile pic S&F because it interests me. Sorry for the deep dive on pipes. It's just an interest of mine.

a reply to: zosimov

Thanks for sharing, I'm always interested to learn a little more!

If you've been studying the Elizabethans, you'd love a walk around Mont Orgueil and Elizabeth Castle, the amount of history, both written and tangible, is crazy.

Sir Walter Raleigh commissioned the construction of Elizabeth Castle, 'Fort Isabella Bellissima' (the most beautiful Elizabeth) named after Elizabeth I, which was built over the 16th and 17th centuries.

A German observation point can again be seen directly underneath the flagpole on the top,



(Photo credit - Sheila Birch)

Here's a small snippet of history from there,

...Governors of Jersey moved their official residence from Mont Orgueil to Elizabeth Castle, which was first used in a military context during the English Civil War in the 17th century. Charles II visited the castle in 1646 and 1649, staying in the Governor's House, and was proclaimed King on the death of his father, Charles I, by governor **Sir George de Carteret despite the abolition of the monarchy in England.

More on Elizabeth Castle here - IslandWiki

A brief bit about Sir George de Carteret,

Sir George Carteret (1610–1680) was Bailiff of Jersey when King Charles I was executed and had his son Charles II proclaimed King in Jersey. He had been a naval officer and was later to serve as Treasurer of the Navy. He was given large tracts of land in the American colonies by Charles II, who named New Jersey in his honour.

More on him here - IslandWiki

You can stay at the Castle for a modest sum,

Elizabeth Castle dates from around 1590 when work was first started on the rocky outcrop and was once home to Sir Walter Raleigh while he was Governor of Jersey and King Charles II who sought refuge during the English Civil War. The Castle now sits within Jersey's National Park. The apartment, split over two levels, overlooks the parade ground and the Governor’s House where both Sir Walter Raleigh and King Charles II stayed.

From £26pp per night, as of writing.

Jersey Heritage Lets

Anyway, I digress



Edit to add before clicking 'post', I've noticed a disparity in some dates, that's down to the sources who should really have it together, but I'm tired and my eyes are sore, I'll try to figure that out later

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Thank you for all that interesting information! I would love a chance to explore the castle. I'm thankful to have it on my radar!

Friggin sweet

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