Circle of Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger

Possibly Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609-1674), at Clarendon House, London;
Possibly by descent to his son, Henry Hyde, 2^nd Earl of Clarendon (1638-1709), at Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire;
Possibly by descent, at Cornbury, and later The Grove, Hertfordshire, to his nephew, Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Rochester and later 4th Earl of Clarendon (1672-1753);
Possibly transferred to his son, Henry Hyde, 5^th Baron Hyde and Viscount Cornbury (1710-1753), in 1749, who died without issue;
by descent to his niece, Charlotte (d.1790), eldest daughter of William Capel, 3rd Earl of Essex (1697-1743), who married Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1709-1786), of the second creation;
thence by descent to the present owner

Plymouth, City Museum and Art Gallery, Paintings in the Clarendon Collection, 1954, p. 10., no. 6;
Buckland Abbey, Plymouth, on long term loan until 2010

G. P. Harding, List of Portraits, Pictures in Various Mansions in the United Kingdom, unpublished MS 1804, Vol. II, p. 209;
Lady T. Lewis, Lives of the Friends and Contemporaries of Lord Chancellor Clarendon, London 1852, Vol. III, pp. 271-272, no. 6;
P. Toynbee, 'Horace Walpole's journals of visits to country seats, &c', Walpole Society, Vol. XVI, 1927, p. 38 (The Grove, Sept. 1761);
R. Gibson, Catalogue of Portraits in the Collection of the Earl of Clarendon, Wallop 1977, no. 133, pp. 119-120

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good condition with no apparent damage or loss of paint. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light confirms the condition mentioned above and reveals a thick, opaque varnish overall. There are no apparent retouchings. FRAME Held in a carved and gilded wood frame. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com, or Ludo Shaw Stewart on +44 (0)207 293 5816, or at ludovic.shawstewart@sothebys.com.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

It is likely that Clarendon purchased this painting believing it to be a Portrait of Elizabeth I. It is clearly not a portrait of the Queen but possibly a rare late Portrait of Bess of Hardwick. Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury was a formidable woman who, despite the limitations of her gender capitalised upon four judicious marriages and rose from humble birth to the rank and riches of a Countess. She married firstly Robert Barlow, secondly Sir William Cavendish, thirdly Sir William St Loe and lastly George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. She oversaw the building of two family seats which survive today; Chatsworth and Hardwick Hall. The latter still contains the full length Portrait of Elizabeth I which Bess commissioned c. 1599. The style of Bess' ruff and pose in this portrait deliberately aligns her with that portrait. Furthermore, the inclusion of the globe on which she rests her right hand proclaims her loyalty to her namesake, Queen Elizabeth. This portrait also includes her distinctive 'ropes of greate perle' which were listed amongst her jewellery in 1593 and which she also displays in another late portrait at Hardwick Hall.