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James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle

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- subject matching 'Carpets and textiles'

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James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle

by Unknown artist
oil on canvas, 1628
76 5/8 in. x 47 1/4 in. (1946 mm x 1200 mm)
Purchased, 1978
Primary Collection
NPG 5210

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  • Unknown artist, Artist. Artist or producer associated with 6578 portraits.

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Events of 1628back to top

Current affairs

John Felton, a professional soldier, assassinates George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.
Lawyer and politician, Sir Edward Coke, leads the demand for a Petition of Right which sets out specific civil liberties while curbing Royal power. After much debate, it is reluctantly accepted by Charles I and passed in Parliament.

Art and science

Aged ten, poet Abraham Cowley writes his epic romance, Pyramus and Thisbe; it would appear in his first publication, Poetical blossoms, 1633, a collection of five poems.
Charles I purchases a substantial art collection from the Duke of Mantua, initially overseen by diplomat, Sir Isaac Wake.

International

The Huguenots surrender in La Rochelle to Catholic royalist forces. Attempts are made by England to assist the city; a final, unsuccessful expedition is dispatched by Robert Bertie, Earl of Lindsey, now head of the fleet since the death of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.

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John Hardy

08 August 2021, 08:22

I have just seen this wonderful portrait at Montacute House. There are many clues suggesting Daniël Mijtens the Elder was the painter of this portrait. James Hay was knighted by James VI of Scotland, brought into England in 1603, treated as a "prime favourite" and made a gentleman of the bedchamber. He was created Earl of Carlisle in September 1622 and served as a diplomat. In 1623 he went to Paris on the occasion of Prince Charles's journey to Madrid, and again in 1624 to join Henry Rich, afterwards Lord Holland, in negotiating the prince's marriage with Henrietta Maria. In 1624 he was made a knight of the Order of the Garter seen in this portrait four years later. Charles's marriage in 1625 was by proxy, so the wedding contract was signed by Carlisle and Holland.

Carlisle became gentleman of the bedchamber to King Charles I after his accession in 1625. In 1628, when this full length portrait was painted, after the failure of the expedition to Rhe, Carlisle was sent to make a diversion against Cardinal Richelieu in Lorraine and Piedmont. He attempted to counsel peace with Spain and the vigorous prosecution of the war with France. However, his diplomacy failed. He took no further part in public life, and died in March 1636.

This portrait was very similar to the one of King Charles I painted the following year by the Dutch artist, favourite of the court by then, Daniël Mijtens the Elder. Mijtens frequently used the motives of a checkered marble floor and table to the left of the sitter (from the artist view). Mijtens, had moved to London by 1618. He became court painter to James I in 1621 and also held the title under Charles I. By 1634, Sir Anthony van Dyck had returned to England.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437090