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Thomas Chaloner was a talented diplomat and scholar who served under four Tudor monarchs. He escaped from drowning off the cost of Algeria in 1541, and was knighted after fighting in England's defeat of the Scots at the Battle of Pinkie (1547). He contributed to the unsuccessful marriage negotiations between Elizabeth I and Prince Maximilian of the Holy Roman Empire (1558), and served as Ambassador to Spain (1562–1565). Today he is primarily remembered as the first English translator of Desiderus Erasmus's Praise of Folly (1549). This unusual portrait shows Chaloner in contemplation of the brevity of human life. He holds a pair of scales in his right hand which are weighted on the side of the blazing book (a symbol of intellect and learning) against the riches of the world, shown on the other side.
Title
Sir Thomas Chaloner
Date
1559
Medium
oil on panel
Measurements
H 71.1 x W 54.6 cm
Accession number
2445
Acquisition method
Purchased, 1929
Work type
Painting
National Portrait Gallery, London
St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England
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