Sir Thomas Wyatt

The panel is sound, although the join is slightly out of plane in the lower half. There are some old losses around the edges, particularly along the lower edge. There are sharp cracks in the top-left and lower-right corners, which are slightly raised but stable. The paint is thin and significantly rubbed in places, particularly the beard, hair and background. A band of approximately 5 mm at the top and bottom edges is slightly matt. The background is very abraded and has been extensively overpainted/restored. An area just to the left of the brow appears to have cream-coloured brushstrokes of retouching applied over blue restoration to make it appear as abraded as the adjacent paint. There is one unfilled loss in the eye, although this does not appear very recent. There is glaze-like overpaint in the dark brown circle. The varnish is even and quite matte.

Number of boards: 2

Panel Orientation: Vertical

Number of boards: 2

Last date of tree ring: n/a

Observations

This panel could not be dated by dendrochronology because the ring sequences obtained from the left-hand board did not match against reference data or other undated sequences.

The construction/repair of the panel can be seen in the x-ray image, with the splits/joins and the wooden blocks attached to them clearly visible. The wood grain can be seen to be straight and even. The incised circular lines can be seen in the x-ray. The small hole made by the point of the compass, when the circle was made, can be seen in the ear at the edge of the lobe. An inscription on the back of the panel (partly obscured by the blocks) can be seen fully (with the exception of the 'T' of Thomas) in the x-ray. It reads 'Thomas Wyatt the Younger (see x-ray 01). The face, a vertical section of the neck, and the top of the sitter's back are light and opaque in the x-ray because of a high proportion of lead white in the paint in these areas. By contrast, the brown areas of the hair and beard are very dark and no modelling can be seen.

Infrared reflectography detected fine lines of underdrawing in the ear, moustache, hair and outline of the profile (it is possible that the medium could be graphite) (see Surface examination). A line was also visible marking out the roundel. The lines in the ear appear tentative and slightly wavy, as if they were drawn slowly to trace another line, rather than having the confidence of a freehand line. The two circular lines are incised (see Surface examination). The small hole made by the point of the compass, used when the circle was made, can be seen in the ear lobe (see IRR mosaic 01).

The paint does not exactly follow the drawn lines. A line for the beard is outside the painted outline. The drawn line visible at the back of the neck and the one round the head are just beyond the painted edge, but the line for the edge of the hair, just above the nape of the neck, is drawn further away from the painted edge. The line along the profile is the same as the painted edge.

Paint samples were taken to analyse the pigments and layer structure of the painting in 2008.

Preparation layers
There is a chalk ground with a pale grey priming over it. The priming is made with white lead with lamp black scattered in the white.

Paint
Flesh
The flesh paint is mostly very pale with occasional particles of vermilion and black. There are occasional glassy particles of pale grey which might be smalt. In the red of the cheek there is an increased proportion of vermilion and a scattering of red lake.
Sample 4: Under the flesh paint there is a cool grey underlayer over the pale grey priming.

Blue background
It was important to establish whether the original background colour was Prussian blue, and therefore from the 18th century, or whether it was indigo.
The background has been considerably restored, but the original overall colour has the appearance of azurite, and the overpaint is Prussian blue. Analysis identified the original blue as indigo.
Samples 2, 3 and 7: Show indigo lying under the brownish red spandrel paint.

Brownish red spandrels
Sample 1: Shows the bright red ochre used in the spandrels.
Sample 3: From the border of blue background and spandrels shows indigo underlying the spandrel paint where it crosses the edge of the blue.

Painting style and method
The painting is very abraded and in places has been extensively retouched, making analysis of the original technique difficult. The blue background is considerably overpainted.

Preparation layers
The painting has a chalk ground and a pale grey priming. This can be seen through the abrasion, a pale grey layer is visible (see micro 04). There is a second darker priming layer beneath the flesh (fine lamp black mixed with lead white) painted over the initial priming.

Underdrawing
The underdrawing detected in infrared reflectography (see Infrared reflectography) can be seen through the paint surface in many places (see micro 03). In some areas it is visible through gaps in brushstrokes or in areas of damage. Here it appears to be in a sparkly, dark grey medium. Examining this under the microscope, and comparing it with the infrared reflectography images, it has been suggested that the drawing medium may be graphite (not metalpoint, as suggested with NPG 1727) (see Infrared reflectography). The circle was drawn with a compass and there is a hole in the ear (at the centre of the circle) made by the compass point (see micro 12 and x-ray 01).

Paint layer structure
Flesh paint
The flesh paint contains lead white, vermilion and red lake. There are glassy pale grey particles which may be smalt (see micro 05), and also many transparent inclusions, which could be lead soaps. In the red of the cheek there is an increased proportion of vermilion and a scattering of red lake. At the back of the neck the flesh paint covers blue background paint.

Eye
The white of the eye seems to contain white, a lot of black, and some red/orange (see micro 01). This paint has the same craquelure as surrounding areas, but some of it seems to be present in the loss in the corner of the eye. If this is the case, it indicates that the paint was applied after this loss occurred. However, it is possible that some flakes from the edge have fallen/crumbled into the loss and been varnished over.

Background within the circle
Patches of what appear to be the remains of a glaze exist in various places, but in some areas this layer fills cracks, indicating that it is not an original glaze, and could be related to a previous varnish layer. These remnants were probably left after past cleaning campaigns (see micro 09). Some areas at the edge of the hair show traces of original background through gaps in the abraded brown paint. In many places it is not clear if this is original or not, but where it is seen with the priming beneath, it was assumed that it is probably original, (see Paint sampling). Paint sample analysis, using Raman Laser Microscopy, has shown that the original background colour within the circle is indigo, but that there is also a lot of Prussian blue used over it in restoration campaigns.

Outer sections/spandrels
The lines of the circles are incised. In places, vertical lines of the grey priming can be seen where the surface paint has been abraded along the high points of the brushstrokes/wood grain, but where these pass over the lines of the circles, the paint has been protected by being inset into the incised line (see micro 11). The pin hole of the compass point can be seen in the ear.

Order of construction
- Chalk ground
- Mid-grey priming, lamp black and lead white mixture
- Underdrawing
- Cool grey priming under the flesh, with greater proportion of lamp black
- Flesh
- Blue background
- Further flesh modelling
- Hair and beard
- Further background layer
- Red/brown background spandrels

Pigments
Lead white, lamp black, red ochre, indigo, vermilion, red lake, possibly smalt

Under ultra violet light, the restoration shows up as dark spots and lines, particularly along the panel join and the repaired split in the middle (see UV 01). The coat of arms in the top-left spandrel can be seen more clearly in ultra violet light than in normal light, but detail is not visible. The blue background in the circle has an opaque, milky greenish white fluorescence. The same fluorescence can be seen in patches where it overlaps into the hair. There is no general fluorescence over the whole surface.

Frame date: Possibly 19th century.