Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban
by John Vanderbank, after Unknown artist
oil on canvas, 1731, based on a work of circa 1618
50 1/4 in. x 40 3/8 in. (1276 mm x 1026 mm)
Bequeathed by Mrs A.H.S. Wodehouse, 1921
Primary Collection
NPG 1904
Sitterback to top
- Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (1561-1626), Philosopher and Lord Chancellor. Sitter associated with 63 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- Unknown artist, Artist. Artist or producer associated with 6578 portraits.
- John Vanderbank (1694-1739), Portrait painter. Artist or producer associated with 99 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.
This portraitback to top
This portrait is a later version of a contemporary painting depicting Bacon in his Lord Chancellor's robes.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Hart-Davis, Adam, Chain Reactions, 2000, p. 16
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 26
Events of 1618back to top
Current affairs
Francis Bacon, Viscount St Alban, is appointed Lord High Chancellor. He would be impeached for bribery three years later ending his political career.Lord High Treasurer Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, and his wife, Katherine, are charged with embezzlement and found guilty the following year.
Art and science
Jurist, politician and scholar, John Selden, publishes his History of Tythes, in which he concedes the legal right of the Church of England to collect tithes, but denies divine authority.The Royal College of Physicians compiles the London Pharmacopoeia, a standard list of medicines and their ingredients.
International
Sir Walter Ralegh's voyage to Guiana tragically fails. Unable to find treasure, his attack against the Spanish settlement San Thomé, during which his son Walter dies, dangerously jeopardises Anglo-Spanish relations. Ralegh returns home and is executed for treason.Start of the Thirty Years War, precipitated by the Bohemian Revolt.
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