Cromwell and his daughter before a portrait of King Charles I

The present painting is believed to be a sketch for a finished painting that Lambert exhibited in 1836 at the Royal Academy entitled Cromwell - a scene from Woodstock. 'It was other than selfish regards that drew me forth to action, etc.'. The subject matter was inspired by the 1826 historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, Woodstock; or, The Cavalier, which tells the story of King Charles II's escape from England after the Civil War, the Commonwealth under Cromwell, and King Charles' Restoration in May 1660. In Chapter Eight of the novel Cromwell is at Windsor Castle and comes across the portrait of King Charles I: 'That Flemish painter' he said - 'that Antonio Vandyck - what a power he has! Steel may mutilate, warriors may waste and destroy - still the King stands uninjured by time; and our grandchildren, while they read his history, may look on his image, and compare the melancholy features with the woeful tale. - It was a stern necessity - it was an awful deed!' (W. Scott, Woodstock, Paris, 1832, pp. 107-8).