$7,000
Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000
The Collection of Amb. & Mrs. Alexander Weddell - The Virginia House Museum
Auction: April 10, 2019 11:00:00 AM EDT
Dated 'A.N.1597' and with sitter's age 'aeta: 76' upper left, oil on canvas.
35 3/4 x 29 1/2 in. (90.9 x 74.9cm)Provenance: Acquired directly from Charles of London, New York, New York.
The Collection of Ambassador and Mrs. Alexander Weddell, Richmond, Virginia.
Deaccessioned by The Virginia House Museum to benefit future preservation, acquisitions, and care of collections.
LITERATURE:
Virginius Cornick Hall, Jr., Portraits in the Collection of the Virginia Historical Society: A Catalogue, Published for the Virginia Historical Society by University Press: Charlottesville, 1981, p. 185.
NOTE:
Sir Henry Norris (1525-1601) was the son and heir of Henry Norris, a courtier and close friend of Henry VIII until he was executed for allegedly being the lover of Anne Boleyn. After his father's death, the young Norris inherited much of his father's fortune and married Marjorie Williams, the daughter of John, Lord Williams of Thame. Queen Elizabeth I rewarded Norris with conspicuous marks of her favor (due in large measure to his father's unfortunate destiny), knighting him at his seat in Rycote in 1566. In the same year, Norris was appointed Ambassador to France, before eventually being recalled and replaced by Sir Francis Walsingham in 1570.
The present portrait depicts Henry Norris seated in a red upholstered armchair, wearing his official robe as Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, an office to which he had been appointed by Queen Elizabeth I in 1596. He is shown with a lace ruff and a black, sable-lined cape with embroidered sleeves. His eyes are fixed on the viewer, while his left hand is holding rich gloves, and a short staff (swagger stick) is seen in his right hand. Many similar portraits of Lord Norris, English School, c. 1600 have been sold at auction before, including at Sotheby's New York on July 25, 1951 (lot 86) and on May 17, 1993 (lot 296).