Unknown man, formerly known as Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Unknown man, formerly known as Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland

by Cornelius Johnson (Cornelius Janssen van Ceulen)
oil on panel, 1627
30 1/8 in. x 24 1/2 in. (765 mm x 623 mm)
Purchased, 1903
Primary Collection
NPG 1344

Sitterback to top

Artistback to top

This portraitback to top

The sitter in this portrait was once identified as Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland. However, comparison with other portraits of Portland casts doubt on this identification. It is possible that the sitter is a member of the Sandys family, perhaps Sir Henry Sandys, the younger brother of the founder of the Miserden branch of the Sandys from Gloucestershire. Although little is known about Henry, we do know that he married in 1602, making it conceivable that he was middle aged when this portrait was painted.
Cornelius Johnson was one of the most accomplished portrait painters working in England at this date. The son of a Dutch exile, Johnson painted portraits of gentry, professionals and members of the court from the 1620s.

Linked publicationsback to top

  • Smartify image discovery app
  • Cooper, Tarnya (introduction) Banville, John (character sketch) Chevalier, Tracy (character sketch) Fellowes, Julian (character sketch) McCall Smith, Alexander (character sketch) Pratchett, Terry (character sketch) Singleton, Sarah (character sketch) Trollope, Joanna (character sketch) Waters, Minette (character sketch), Imagined Lives: Portraits of Unknown People, 2011 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from December 2011 - June 2012), p. 59
  • Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 692

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Events of 1627back to top

Current affairs

The Five Knights Case. Judge, Sir John Bramston represents two of the 'knights', Sir Thomas Darnell and Sir John Havingham who refused to pay the forced loan imposed by Charles I. Bramston's application for a writ of habeas corpus was unsuccessful and the defendants remained imprisoned without trial.

Art and science

The tragicomedy, The Great Duke of Florence by playwright Philip Massinger, is licensed by Sir Henry Herbert, Master of the Revels, to be performed by the queen's company at the Cockpit Theatre. The play is considered one of Massinger's best dramas.

International

Charles I sends forces commanded by George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, to assist starving Huguenots rebels of La Rochelle, besieged by French king, Louis XIII's army. Villiers attempts to capture the French Atlantic fort of Île de Rhé, near Rochelle, but is forced to evacuate the island after three months.

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