Portrait of a Man, possibly Thomas Howard, third Viscount Bindon (ca. 1539–1611)
Date:
1599
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on panel
Dimensions:
44 1/2 × 35 1/4 inches (113 × 89.5 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Fund
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1979.16
Gallery Label:
This vigorous portrait is the only signed work by the English-born painter Robert Peake the Elder. The identity of the sitter is uncertain, and, puzzlingly, the inscribed date was changed from 1599 to 1593 soon after the painting was made. There is good reason to believe that it represents Thomas Howard, third Viscount Bindon (ca. 1539–1611), a junior member of the premier aristocratic family in England. Bindon was a difficult and unpopular figure, described by Sir Walter Raleigh as a “peevish fool,” but thanks to family connections he was given command of the troops responsible for defending the south west of England against possible Spanish or French attack, which explains the baton and high-status black armor. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
