9 OF 11954 
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners
9 of 11954 portraits matching these criteria:
- subject matching 'Hats and head-attire'
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners
attributed to Ambrosius Benson
oil on panel, 1520-1526
19 1/2 in. x 15 1/2 in. (495 mm x 394 mm)
Purchased with help from The Art Fund and H.M. Government, 1973
Primary Collection
NPG 4953
Sitter
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners (1467-1533), Statesman and writer. Sitter in 1 portrait.
Artist
Ambrosius Benson (circa 1495-1550). Artist associated with 1 portrait.
This Portrait
Lord Berners served Henry VIII as Chancellor of the Exchequer, assisted in the negotiations for an alliance with Spain two years later, and attended the king at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. While serving as Lord Deputy of Calais he devoted his leisure hours, at Henry's suggestion, to translating the French historian Froissart's Chronicles. This portrait, which so perceptively characterises this able and cultivated man, was almost certainly painted by a Flemish artist during Berners' residence in Calais, and is a rare early example of an Englishman sitting for his portrait while abroad. The significance of the fruit, thought to be an apple, which Berners holds has yet to be discovered.
Linked Publications
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 53
Subject/Theme
