Sir Edward Herbert, later 1st Lord Herbert of Cherbury

Sir Edward Herbert, first Baron Herbert of Cherbury (1583–1648), was a man of many accomplishments: philosopher, diplomat, soldier, courtier, musician, and poet. This cabinet miniature presents him in youth, reclining in a wooded landscape with his head resting on his hand in the conventional pose of melancholy. Behind him, a squire readies his horse for a joust, while Herbert—elegantly dressed in court attire—holds a shield. The shield bears the Latin motto MAGICA SYMPATHIAE and is ornamented with a flaming heart. Although the exact meaning of this emblem is uncertain today, it likely alludes to “sympathetic magic,” a concept that figured prominently in Herbert’s philosophical thought. Herbert’s autobiography reveals a strong interest in his own likeness, making it probable that he commissioned the work himself.

Since its engraving by Anthony Walker in 1764, the miniature has traditionally been attributed to Isaac Oliver, court miniaturist to Queen Anne of Denmark. The assured handling of perspective in the landscape and the finely painted foliage support this attribution, though the prominent use of vermilion in the flesh tones is less typical of Oliver’s technique.

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