Studio of Sir Peter Lely

Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609-1674), at Clarendon House, London;
by descent to his son, Henry Hyde, 2^nd Earl of Clarendon (1638-1709), at Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire;
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);
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 Capell, 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 from the Clarendon Collection, 1954, no. 9;
Plymouth, Buckland Abbey, on long term loan until 2010

BM Add. MS 6391, ff 77 (The Grove, 1764, no. 41);
G. P. Harding, List of Portraits, Pictures in Various Mansions in the United Kingdom, unpublished MS 1804, Vol. II, p. 211;
Lady T. Lewis, Lives of the Friends and Contemporaries of Lord Chancellor Clarendon, London 1852, Vol. III, no. 10, pp. 250, 256 and 281-284;
R. Strong, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits, London 1969, Text Volume, p. 24;
R. Gibson, Catalogue of Portraits in the Collection of the Earl of Clarendon, Wallop 1977 no. 14 (illus.), pp. 12-13

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in good condition. There are no apparent damages or loss of paint. There is some visible minor retouching in the sitter's hands, and there is a dirty and discoloured vanish overall. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals scattered retouching overall, particularly to the background behind the sitter's head, and confirms the opacity of the discoloured vanish. FRAME Held in a carved and gilded wooden frame.
"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."

A distinguished barrister Egerton served as Queen's Council under Elizabeth I and was made Solicitor General in 1581. He was one of the prosecutors in the trial of Mary Queen of Scots in 1586, and was also the leading prosecutor at the trial of Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel for high treason. He was appointed Master of the Rolls in 1594, at which time he was patron to the young Francis Bacon, and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal in 1596 (see earlier lot). With the accession of James I to the throne in 1603 he was appointed Lord Chancellor and Baron Ellesmere. In 1613 he was made First Lord of the Treasury, and in 1616 created Viscount Brackley. 

The present painting was painted for the 1st Earl of Clarendon by Lely's studio after the second portrait type of Brackley, c. 1603, when he was raised to the peerage. The original is now untraced.