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The preacher John Owen was of Welsh descent and had a huge impact on generations of Welsh Calvinistic preachers. The author of many religious tracts, he supported the Parliamentarians during the Civil War and became Chaplain to Oliver Cromwell and Vice Chancellor of Oxford University. His serious expression may hint at his disapproval of the artist John Greenhill, who was renowned for enjoying life, and later drowned in a puddle when drunk. Greenhill, one of the few native-born seventeenth-century painters of talent, captures the sturdy yet lively character of this celebrated Puritan clergyman.