About Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Independent British Fine Art & Antiques Dealers | Historic Paintings, Portraiture, Sporting Art & Decorative Arts
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® is an independent, family-run British fine art and antiques dealership and online gallery, incorporated in England and Wales on 22 April 2024 under company registration number 15666518.
Led by directors Michael and Victoria, the company specialises in carefully selected British and European paintings, sculpture and decorative arts, serving private collectors, galleries, interior designers, art consultants and institutional buyers throughout the United Kingdom and internationally.
With our registered office in Covent Garden, London, and trading operations based in Cheshire, we combine historical research, considered attribution, detailed condition reporting and professional customer service.
Our approach emphasises artistic quality, historical significance, transparency and the preservation of original works of art.
Professional Memberships, Industry Affiliations & Recognition
Fine Art Trade Guild – Elected Member
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® is an elected member of the Fine Art Trade Guild, a recognised professional organisation supporting standards, integrity and responsible practice within the fine art and framing industries.
Our membership reflects our commitment to professional conduct, ethical trading and the accurate presentation of original works of art.
The House Directory – Select Member
We are a Select Member of The House Directory, a specialist British directory connecting interior designers, architects, private clients and design professionals with established suppliers and specialist businesses.
Our published profile highlights our expertise in British and European fine art, historic portraiture, sporting paintings, sculpture and decorative antiques.
https://www.thehousedirectory.com/company/cheshire-antiques-consultant-ltd/
HMRC – Registered Art Market Participant
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® is registered with HM Revenue & Customs as an Art Market Participant under registration number XRML00000211615.
We maintain appropriate anti-money laundering and financial sanctions compliance procedures in accordance with applicable United Kingdom legislation.
Registered United Kingdom Trade Mark
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® is a registered United Kingdom trade mark under registration number UK00004303420.
Private Online Gallery
Private Virtual Viewings by Appointment
We operate exclusively online and do not maintain a public showroom.
Private one-to-one virtual viewings are available by appointment, allowing prospective purchasers to examine artworks remotely and discuss condition, dimensions, attribution, provenance and historical context.
High-resolution photographs, additional images and detailed condition information are available upon request.
We aim to provide collectors with the information necessary to make informed purchasing decisions.
Areas of Specialisation
Fine Art & Works of Art | 17th–21st Century
Our principal specialisms include:
- British and European oil paintings, watercolours and mixed-media works
- Historic portraiture and figurative paintings
- Marine, naval and maritime subjects
- Equestrian, hunting and sporting paintings
- Animal paintings and rural subjects
- Landscapes, coastal views and cityscapes
- Still life, interiors and genre compositions
- Military and historical subjects
- Sculpture and three-dimensional works
Our catalogue includes works by identified artists, attributed paintings, historical schools and carefully researched unsigned compositions.
Each artwork is selected with consideration for artistic quality, condition, historical interest, provenance where established, and decorative merit.
Antiques & Decorative Arts
Our wider collection may include:
- Bronze and other sculpture
- Hallmarked silver and decorative metalwork
- Antique carved objects
- Porcelain, glassware and ceramics
- Decorative wall art
- Garden and architectural antiques
- Collectible decorative objects dating principally from the 18th to 20th century
Our inventory is continually evolving, with pieces selected for their craftsmanship, individuality and suitability for traditional and contemporary interiors.
Sustainability & Enduring Craftsmanship
We actively support sustainability within the fine art and antiques trade through the preservation, continued appreciation and responsible reuse of historic works of art and decorative objects.
By extending the useful life of existing pieces, the antiques trade can help reduce demand for newly manufactured decorative goods while preserving traditional craftsmanship and cultural heritage.
Historic paintings, sculpture and period furnishings bring individuality, character and enduring aesthetic value to both traditional and contemporary interiors.
Payments & Purchasing
Purchases are arranged in accordance with the applicable LoveAntiques purchasing arrangements and our company Terms & Conditions.
We accept secure online card payments, PayPal, Klarna, Apple Pay and Google Pay, where available, for transactions up to £5,000.
Transactions exceeding £5,000 are payable by bank transfer.
Proforma invoices containing our company payment details are available upon request.
Cash on collection may be accepted by prior written arrangement, subject to a maximum of £8,000 and applicable legal and anti-money laundering requirements.
All transactions remain subject to availability, applicable payment requirements and relevant consumer protection legislation.
Shipping & Delivery
UK and worldwide shipping is available.
Delivery quotations are provided upon request, taking into account the artwork's dimensions, value, destination and specialist handling requirements.
Artworks are carefully and professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials.
We use established tracked courier services, including DHL, FedEx, DPD and Parcelforce, together with specialist fine art transport providers where appropriate.
Insured delivery services are arranged where available, subject to the applicable insurance terms, exclusions and coverage.
Larger paintings, antique furniture and particularly fragile objects may require specialist door-to-door transportation.
Customs & International Orders
International orders are generally supplied on a Delivered at Place (DAP) basis unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Under DAP arrangements, international purchasers are responsible for applicable import duties, import VAT, customs clearance charges and other destination-country taxes or fees.
Following the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, EU customers may be subject to additional import procedures and charges.
Purchasers in the European Union, United States and other international destinations are encouraged to consult their local customs authorities before purchasing.
Where a shipment is refused or returned because of unpaid customs charges, any refund and associated shipping costs will be handled in accordance with the agreed sale terms and applicable consumer protection legislation.
Attribution, Provenance & Condition
All artworks, antiques and decorative objects offered by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® are individually selected and catalogued in good faith using the research, documentation and information available at the time of cataloguing.
Artist attributions, dating, provenance, historical interpretations and related catalogue commentary represent our professional dealer opinion unless expressly identified as established facts supported by documentary evidence.
As many works are antique or previously owned, they may exhibit age-related wear, historic restoration, surface irregularities or other characteristics consistent with their age and history.
Known material condition issues are disclosed in the relevant catalogue descriptions or condition reports.
Prospective purchasers are welcome to request additional photographs, condition information, provenance details or a private virtual viewing before completing a purchase.
Our catalogue research and descriptions do not constitute a formal valuation, independent authentication certificate, investment recommendation or professional appraisal service.
Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution
Original artworks are supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
The certificate records the relevant catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated and details of the sale, providing an accompanying document for the artwork's ongoing ownership and provenance record.
The certificate represents our professional dealer attribution and does not constitute independent authentication or a guarantee of future market value.
Returns, Consumer Rights & Important Information
All items remain subject to prior sale and availability.
Purchases are governed by our applicable Terms & Conditions and Returns Policy, together with any applicable LoveAntiques marketplace terms.
Where statutory distance-selling cancellation rights apply, customers are entitled to exercise those rights in accordance with applicable consumer protection legislation.
Nothing in our catalogue descriptions, attribution statements or terms excludes or restricts statutory consumer rights.
Company Information
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Registered Office:
71–75 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9JQ
United Kingdom
Trading Operations:
Mickle Trafford
Chester
Cheshire
United Kingdom
Please note: We operate exclusively online. We do not maintain a public showroom or offer customer visits at either address.
Company Registration Number: 15666518
Date of Incorporation: 22 April 2024
Registered in England and Wales
VAT Registration Number: GB 466128775
HMRC Art Market Participant Registration: XRML00000211615
Registered UK Trade Mark: UK00004303420
Professional Membership: Fine Art Trade Guild – Elected Member
Industry Directory: The House Directory – Select Member
Website: https://cheshireantiquesconsultantltd.com/
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® – Independent British Fine Art & Antiques Dealers.

Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Verified
Address
71-75 Shelton Street
London
Greater London
United Kingdom
WC2H 9JQ
Opening times
By appointment only
Mobile
+447494 763382
History Naval Family Portrait Painting Legacy Louisa & Augusta & Sophia Devonsher
REF: LA554037
£5,900
€7,073
$7,897
LoveAntiques Dealersince Mar 2017557 sales by dealerFree Delivery
LoveAntiques Dealersince Mar 2017557 sales by dealerFree Delivery
Description
Historcial Masterpiece Painting Captain John Cooke’s Family Legacy in Blue:
Portrait of Louisa Cooke’s Three Daughters (c.1833)
Subject & Medium
Circle of William Egley (1798–1870), English School
Watercolour and gouache on paper laid on panel.
An exceptionally refined 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 arranged 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 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 posture 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 roses echo the crimson upholstery and rhythmically tie the colour scheme together.
Executed in transparent watercolour with delicate gouache heightening, the artist has modelled the faces with 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 gently forward and bathing them in a 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.
About the Sitters & Captain Cooke
The sitters are identified as 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 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:
It is 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 shift in early nineteenth-century British culture 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
The work has been 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 internal 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 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
A beautifully coloured, exquisitely detailed children’s group that lights up any room.
Direct and well-documented link to Captain John Cooke, RN, fallen hero of Trafalgar, and to the family home Donhead Lodge.
An 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, AR70 glass and smart black-and-gold mount – ready to hang in a private collection, museum, or historic house setting.
Purchase & Enquiries
Click “Buy It Now” to secure this important family portrait before it is gone and add a distinguished piece of maritime and domestic history to your collection.
measurements
Height:
38 cm
Width:
42 cm
Depth:
2.5 cm
declaration
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD has clarified that the History Naval Family Portrait Painting Legacy Louisa & Augusta & Sophia Devonsher (LA554037) is genuinely of the period declared with the date/period of manufacture being 1833
condition
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.
additional info
Category:
Material:
Origin:
Date of Manufacture:
1833
location
This History Naval Family Portrait Painting Legacy Louisa & Augusta & Sophia Devonsher is located in Greater London, United Kingdom
Share:
Ask a question
Please note,
This dealer does not accept instant online payment for this item.
To buy this item please email the dealer using the enquiry form below.
A selection of items from Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD has 339 items available.Painting Portrait White Poodle Dog by Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe
£ 10,000
€11,988$13,385
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Eric Tufnell 1963 WWII Naval Watercolour of Battleship Yamato
£ 2,500
€2,997$3,346
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Large Oil Painting Portrait Monarch King George VI Naval Uniform C1950
£ 8,900
€10,670$11,913
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Persian Cats with Tea Service Oil Painting by Agnes Augusta Talboys RWA
£ 8,000
€9,591$10,708
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD