Sir Walter Ralegh; Walter Ralegh

Sittersback to top

• Sir Walter Ralegh (1552-1618), Soldier, sailor, poet and writer. Sitter associated with 47 portraits.
• Walter Ralegh (1593-1618), Eldest son of Sir Walter Raleigh. Sitter in 1 portrait.

Artistback to top

• Unknown artist. Artist associated with 6233 portraits.

This portraitback to top

A military and naval commander and writer, Ralegh first caught Queen Elizabeth's eye in 1581. He was in favour for most of the 1580s but was imprisoned in 1592 for his part in an intrigue and subsequently forbidden to appear at court. This portrait was painted in 1602 when Ralegh was at the height of his renewed favour with the queen. It shows him together with his son Walter who is made to mimic his father's confident pose. Both father and son are dressed in splendid costumes; Ralegh's jacket is embroidered with seed pearls and his son's blue suit is silver-braided. A contemporary of Ralegh described him as 'framed in so just a proportion and so seemly an order, as there was nothing in him that a man might well wish to have been added or altered'.

Linked publicationsback to top

• Audio Guide
• Nicholl, Charles, Character Sketches: Elizabethan Writers, 1997, p. 51
• Nicholl, Charles, Insights: Shakespeare and His Contemporaries, 2005, p. 98
• Ribeiro, Aileen, The Gallery of Fashion, 2000, p. 56
• Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 511
• Strong, Roy, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits, 1969, p. 257

Subjects & Themesback to top

• Carpets and textiles
• Children
• Hats and head-attire
• Shadows
• Swords and shields