Previously identified as a work by the miniaturist Alexander Cooper on the basis of a misreading of the monogram 'PC', this is in fact a representative example of the work of Peter Cross. Interpretation of Cross's work has been dogged by difficulties stemming from confusion over his signature, and for centuries the artist was known as Lawrence Crosse. He was, however, a prolific and successful miniaturist, fulfilling the role of King's Limner in succession to Nicholas Dixon in 1678. Although connections have been drawn between Peter Cross and the household of Samuel Cooper, it is thought that his distinctive polychromatic stipple technique owes more to the manner of John Hoskins, or possibly even to French sources, than to Cooper. His latest work dates from 1716, by which time the era of the vellum miniature was drawing to a close, to be replaced by a very different style of work on ivory. This miniature can be dated to c. 1675-80 on the basis of the costume and is a product of the decade when Cross was at the apogee of his career. When purchased in Paris in the 1860s, the miniature was thought to represent one of the daughters of Oliver Cromwell, However, the sitter has not been proven to be a member of the Cromwell family and her identity remains unknown. Signed in gold on the left: 'P.C.' (monogram). Inscribed on the reverse in ink by a nineteenth century hand: 'Lady Falconbridge Daughter of Oliver Cromwell By A. Cooper'