The Somerset House Conference, 1604
1 portrait matching these criteria:
- npg number matching '665'
The Somerset House Conference, 1604
by Unknown artist
oil on canvas, 1604
81 in. x 105 1/2 in. (2057 mm x 2680 mm)
Purchased, 1882
Primary Collection
NPG 665
Artist
Unknown artist. Artist associated with 6491 portraits.
Sitters
Charles de Ligne, Count of Aremberg, Delegate at the Somerset House Conference. Sitter in 1 portrait.
Charles Blount, Earl of Devonshire (1563-1606), Soldier. Sitter associated with 10 portraits.
Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset (1536-1608), Poet and Lord Treasurer. Sitter associated with 6 portraits.
Juan de Velasco Frias, Duke of Frias, Constable of Castile; delegate at the Somerset House Conference. Sitter in 1 portrait.
Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton (1540-1614), Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Sitter associated with 2 portraits.
Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham (1536-1624), Lord High Admiral. Sitter associated with 10 portraits.
Jean Richardot, President of the Privy Council. Sitter in 1 portrait.
Alessandro Robida, Senator of Milan; a delegate at the Somerset House Conference. Sitter in 1 portrait.
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury (1563-1612), Statesman. Sitter associated with 18 portraits.
Louis Vereyken, Audencier of Brussels. Sitter in 1 portrait.
Juan de Tassis, Count of Villa Mediana, Delegate at the Somerset House Conference. Sitter in 1 portrait.
This Portrait
This group portrait commemorates the peace treaty between England and Spain in 1604 which brought an end to a war which had dragged on for almost twenty years. It may well record the appearance of the room in Old Somerset House where the negotiations were held. On the left are the members of the Hispano-Flemish delegation, on the right, the English commissioners. Between 20 May and 16 July 1604, eighteen conference sessions were held at Somerset House, and the treaty was signed on 16 August. Although it apparently bears the signature of the Spanish painter Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, this painting also bears an impossible date. It is generally thought that both signature and the date are false and that it is by a hitherto unidentified Flemish artist. It may be associated with John De Critz the Elder, paintings by whom were probably the sources for the portraits of Robert Cecil and Thomas Sackville.
Related Works
NPG 5289: Sir Roy Strong (appears within the portrait)
NPG x12533: Sir Roy Strong (appears within the portrait)
NPG D23070: Charles Blount, Earl of Devonshire ()
Linked Publications
Sound Guide
The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 48
Clare Gittings, The National Portrait Gallery Book of Elizabeth I, 2006, p. 26
Cooper, John, Visitor's Guide, 2000, p. 27
John Cooper, National Portrait Gallery Visitor's Guide, 2006, p. 27
Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery: an illustrated guide, 2000, p. 48
Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 48
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 706
Strong, Roy, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits, 1969, p. 351
Strong, Roy, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits, 1969, p. 63
Subjects & Themes
Art in art
Carpets and textiles
Chairs
Events and occasions
Flowers and plants
Group portraits
Hats and head-attire
Known interiors
Words and pictures
On display in Room 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
