2 OF 41

Henry, Prince of Wales

2 of 41 portraits of Henry, Prince of Wales

by Robert Peake the Elder
oil on canvas, circa 1610
68 in. x 44 3/4 in. (1727 mm x 1137 mm)
Purchased with help from The Art Fund, 1966
Primary Collection
NPG 4515

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Sitterback to top

Henry, Prince of Wales (1594-1612), Eldest son of James I. Sitter associated with 41 portraits.

Artistback to top

Robert Peake the Elder (circa 1551-1619), Portrait and decorative painter. Artist associated with 8 portraits.

This portraitback to top

The eldest son of James I and Anne of Denmark, Henry was by all accounts a remarkable prince; intelligent and learned, he excelled in feats of arms and was an informed patron of the arts. This portrait by his official artist Robert Peake is thought to have been painted soon after he was made Prince of Wales in 1610 at the age of sixteen. Henry is shown standing in an interior wearing a white doublet and trunks embroidered with scarlet. In his right hand he holds a glove and on the table lies his white hat which is decorated with Prince of Wales feathers and a jewel incorporating an 'H' and a 'P' for Henricus Princeps (Prince Henry). The view through the window is thought to be of his gardens at the palace of Richmond (now Richmond Park) which the Prince had modelled on those of the Villa d'Este at Tivoli. Purchased with the help of the National Art Collections Fund, 1966.

Linked publicationsback to top

Audio Guide
I-Spy National Portrait Gallery, 2010, p. 15
MacLeod, Catharine (preface, appreciation) Wilks, Timothy (introduction) Smuts, Malcolm (appreciation) MacGibbon, Rab (appendix), The Lost Prince: The Life and Death of Henry Stuart, 2012 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 18 October 2012 to 13 January 2013), pp. 188 (detail) & 121
Ribeiro, Aileen, The Gallery of Fashion, 2000, p. 58
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 297
Strong, Roy, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits, 1969, p. 162
Williamson, David, The National Portrait Gallery: History of the Kings and Queens of England, 1998, p. 106