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Bess of Hardwick

(circa 1527-1608), Noblewoman; wife of 6th Earl of Shrewsbury

Elizabeth ('Bess') Talbot (née Hardwick), Countess of Shrewsbury

Sitter in 3 portraits
'Bess of Hardwick' was one of the wealthiest people in late Elizabethan England, and an important patron of architecture. She acquired her wealth through a succession of four progressively more profitable marriages, and through her own business acumen. She is remembered mainly for the house she had built at Hardwick, to a plan by the great Elizabethan architect Robert Smythson (c.1535-1614).

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Bess of Hardwick, by Unknown artist - NPG 203

Bess of Hardwick

by Unknown artist
oil on canvas, probably 17th century, based on a work of circa 1590
On display in Room 3 at Montacute House
NPG 203

Bess of Hardwick, by George Vertue, after Cornelius Johnson (Cornelius Janssen van Ceulen) - NPG D28087

Bess of Hardwick

by George Vertue, after Cornelius Johnson (Cornelius Janssen van Ceulen)
line engraving, early 18th century
NPG D28087

Bess of Hardwick, after Unknown artist - NPG D41911

Bess of Hardwick

after Unknown artist
colour photogravure, published 1902 (circa 1590)
NPG D41911

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