Portrait of an Unknown Lady

Image credit: Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

Little is known of William Larkin's life, although for over a decade he worked for patrons connected with the royal court and he lived in the fashionable area of Blackfriars. Elizabethan and Jacobean court portraiture emphasised the wealth and status of the sitter rather than their character. Larkin's painstaking depiction of beautiful and expensive fabrics explains his popularity with his aristocratic sitters. This young woman's low-cut bodice and long, flowing hair were the height of fashion around 1615. The embroidered flowers include heartsease, roses and thistles; the tendrils that link them are plaited braid stitches in metallic thread. Her lace is Italian needlepoint and was part of a chemise worn under the bodice.

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Bristol

Title

Portrait of an Unknown Lady

Date

c.1615

Medium

oil on panel

Measurements

H 57.1 x W 44.4 cm

Accession number

K3046

Acquisition method

purchased, 1969

Work type

Painting

Tags

See a tag that’s incorrect or offensive? Challenge it and notify Art UK.

Help improve Art UK. Tag artworks and verify existing tags by joining the Tagger community.

Normally on display at

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Queens Road, Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RL England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue