John Farnham, Gentleman-Pensioner to Elizabeth I

Artist Steven van der Meulen (Netherlandish, active aobut 1543–1568)

Date1563

Mediumoil on panel

Dimensionspanel: 110.5 x 83 cm (43 1/2 x 32 11/16 in.)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineCharlotte E. W. Buffington Fund

Terms

Object number1993.36

Label TextFarnham commissioned this portrait three years after Queen Elizabeth I made him a Gentleman-Pensioner, a significant position at the English royal court. The inscription at top refers to his service to his country: "When in my youth I was a soldier, I was considered a prize; and now when my country calls, I shall be a soldier again." Farnham's personal motto appears on the column: “Hope is my truth.” The scene in the upper right depicts the aftermath of a battle, probably the 1557 campaign in which Farnham served, which culminated in England's loss of Calais, on the coast of France. This story may explain the presence of the goddess Fortuna who stands on a globe inscribed: “I give by chance, not by reason.”ProvenanceBy direct family descent at Quorn, Leicestershire; Weiss Gallery, 1B Abemale Street, London WIX 3HF, Great Britain

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