Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 5 works by Robert Walker in our catalogue
Summary
According to this ranking, Portrait of the Artist (1645) is the most famous painting by Robert Walker; the Royal Collection, London, holds it. It is followed by Thomas Fairfax (1641) and Cromwell (1641). This list draws on the 5 works by Robert Walker in the catalogue and records the 4 most famous, with date, holding museum and description for each entry.
In this seventeenth-century oil portrait, we find ourselves in a quiet, private space with a young man who gazes back at us over his shoulder. The composition is intimate, a three-quarter view that suggests we have interrupted a moment of deep thought. He holds a piece of paper, a subtle nod to his vocation, while the stark white of his collar provides a sharp, luminous contrast against the deep shadows…
The 3 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Robert Walker | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Statens Museum For Kunst |
Copenhagen | 2 | Thomas Fairfax, Cromwell |
 Royal Collection |
London | 1 | Portrait of the Artist |
 Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki |
Auckland | 1 | Oliver Cromwell |
The documented career of Robert Walker on this page covers 5 years, 1641 to 1645, and is presented below one year at a time.
Select a year to display its principal paintings.
In this seventeenth-century oil portrait, we find ourselves in a quiet, private space with a young man who gazes back at us over his shoulder. The composition is intimate, a three-quarter view that suggests we have interrupted a moment of deep thought. He holds a piece of paper, a subtle nod to his vocation, while the stark white of his collar provides a sharp, luminous contrast against the deep shadows…
Portrait of the Artist (1645), Royal Collection, London. The following entries are Thomas Fairfax (1641) and Cromwell (1641).
38 years: Robert Walker was born in 1607 and Portrait of the Artist is dated 1645.
The catalogue records 5 works by Robert Walker, dated between 1641 and 1645.
Principally in Statens Museum For Kunst (Copenhagen), Royal Collection (London) and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki (Auckland). The museum table above gives the full distribution.
In 1641: 2 of the 4 works listed on this page are dated to that period, including Thomas Fairfax.
The earliest dated work listed here is Thomas Fairfax (1641); the latest is Portrait of the Artist (1645).
Thomas Fairfax and Cromwell are among the 2 works on this page in the collection of the Statens Museum For Kunst, Copenhagen.
Robert Walker lived through a period of profound change in England. While his early years remain hidden from view, his presence becomes clear during the years of the Commonwealth. He worked as the chief painter for the parliamentary party between 1649 and 1658. His brush captured the faces of those who held power when the monarchy was set aside. Many of these portraits now reside in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
His hand moved with a style that felt familiar to those accustomed to the courtly elegance of Van Dyck. Yet, there is a distinction in his work that separates him from his influence. He did not simply copy the established manner; he brought a specific clarity to the men of the period. His portraits of Oliver Cromwell are perhaps his most noted contributions. Some versions show the Lord Protector in armour, with a page attending to his sash, while others present him more simply, from the waist up.
The subjects Walker chose were often men of significant political weight. He recorded the likenesses of Henry Ireton, John Lambert, and Charles Fleetwood. These were not mere sketches but formal records of a new leadership. In one instance, he painted Cromwell wearing a gold chain and decoration sent by Queen Christina of Sweden. Such details provide a glimpse into the diplomatic exchanges of the era.
Walker also turned his attention to others within the parliamentary circle, such as Richard Keble, John Evelyn, and Adrian Scrope. His work reached beyond the high-ranking officials to include figures like Richard Deane, a General at Sea. Even his own face appears in his records; he painted himself three times, with versions of these self-portraits held in both the National Portrait Gallery and the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford.
The physical traces of Walker's life are found in museum collections and old receipts. A receipt signed by him for a portrait of Cromwell remains in the Cromwell Museum. His ability to capture character is noted in the diaries of his contemporaries, such as John Evelyn, who sat for a portrait that included a death's head. These works remain part of the permanent collections in several institutions:
By the time of his death in 1658, Walker had left behind a visual record of an era defined by its break from tradition. His paintings serve as the primary way many people recognize the appearance of the leaders who shaped the English Commonwealth.
