Sir Francis Drake
1 portrait matching these criteria:
- npg number matching '4032'
Sir Francis Drake
by Unknown artist
oil on panel, circa 1580
71 3/8 in. x 44 1/2 in. (1813 mm x 1130 mm)
Purchased, 1957
Primary Collection
NPG 4032
Sitter
Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596), Admiral and circumnavigator. Sitter associated with 35 portraits.
Artist
Unknown artist. Artist associated with 6491 portraits.
This Portrait
The most famous of all English seafarers, Drake earned his fame and fortune through his skilful seamanship and outstandingly successful piracy. His circumnavigation of the globe from 1577-81 involved a number of very profitable raids on Spanish ships and ports. Drake's increasingly frequent and serious attacks during the 1580s were an important factor contributing to Philip II's decision to launch the Armada which was in turn defeated by the English fleet. In this full-length portrait Drake rests his hand on a globe which, intriguingly, is orientated the other way up from modern representations of the planet. The names of the continents are marked in French.
Linked Publications
Sound Guide
Clare Gittings, The National Portrait Gallery Book of Elizabeth I, 2006, p. 21
Cooper, John, Visitor's Guide, 2000, p. 25
Cooper, John, A Guide to the National Portrait Gallery, 2009, p. 13
John Cooper, National Portrait Gallery Visitor's Guide, 2006, p. 25
Ribeiro, Aileen, The Gallery of Fashion, 2000, p. 48
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 186
Strong, Roy, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits, 1969, p. 69
Subjects & Themes
On display in Room 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
