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1 of 253523 objects
William Parr, later Marquess of Northampton (1513-1571) c.1538-42
Black and coloured chalks, white bodycolour, pen and ink, and brush and ink on pale pink prepared paper | 31.7 x 21.2 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 912231
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A portrait drawing of William Parr (1513-1571), brother of Queen Katherine Parr, created Marquess of Northampton in 1546/7 (after Holbein's death). Bust length, facing three-quarters left. Parr wears a hat adorned with badges and a feather, a fur-edged gown and a medallion. The figure is surrounded by studies of details of the jewellery.
Inscribed by the artist: wis felbet (white velvet), burpor felbet (purple velvet), wis satin (white satin), w (for weiss, white) five times, Gl (gold) twice, gros (size) and MORS (death). Inscribed in an eighteenth-century hand at centre right: William Pa...Marquis o(f) Northam(p):ton.
Aged eleven, William Parr entered the household of the King's illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy. He was appointed a Knight of the Garter in April 1543 and his sister Katherine became Henry's sixth wife a few months later. Parr's renowned good looks and elegance were skilfully captured by Holbein, who made copious notes about his dress and jewels on this drawing.Provenance
Henry VIII; Edward VI, 1547; Henry FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel; by whom bequeathed to John, Lord Lumley, 1580; by whom probably bequeathed to Henry, Prince of Wales, 1609, and thus inherited by Prince Charles (later Charles I), 1612; by whom exchanged with Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, 1627/8; by whom given to Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel; acquired by Charles II by 1675
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Black and coloured chalks, white bodycolour, pen and ink, and brush and ink on pale pink prepared paper
black chalk, red chalk, brown chalk, white bodycolour, pen and ink, brush and ink, pale pink prepared paperMeasurements
31.7 x 21.2 cm (sheet of paper)
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Other number(s)
RL 12231Featured in
ExhibitionHenry VIII : a 500th anniversary exhibition : Drawings Gallery
explores the life of one of the most significant figures in the history of the English monarchy
ExhibitionIn Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion : The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse
Traces changing tastes in fashionable attire in Great Britain in the 16th and 17th centuries.
