Museum remix: Finch and Baines

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Oliver Warren, volunteer tour guide for the Bridging Binaries LGBTQ+ tour programme at the Fitz, gives us his film for inspiration, about two seventeenth-century physicians: Sir John Finch (1626–82) and Sir Thomas Baines (1622–80,), whose portraits in gallery 3 by Carlo Dolci, are hung to face each other.

Both been students @christscollegecambridge and their joint memorial stands in the college chapel – commemorating their “animorum connubium” (their marriage of souls), and explaining that they were buried together “so that those who had while alive mingled their … souls, might … in death mingle their sacred ashes” (just one urn is shown).

As Mary Beard commented ‘Now it would be misleading to project a gay culture directly back onto a pair of seventeenth-century doctors. But, then again, it would be misleading not to. This is about as close as it gets.’

Book your free visit to see us this weekend, or any of the wonderful @camunivmuseums pick your object and send in your views before Sept 30. We want to hear your opinions on @cambridgeuniversity collections!

Carlo Dolci (1616-1686), Sir John Finch, c.1665-70.

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One of a pair of portraits

Finch family, at Burley-on-the-Hill until 1947, when they were sold (Major James Hanbury sale, Christie's, 20 June 1947, lots 18-19); subsequently owned by Sir Thomas Barlow and S.W. Christie-Miller, from whose estate they were purchased