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| Artist | After Dyck, Anthony van (Flemish painter, 1599-1641, active in England) |
| Title | Frances Howard, Duchess of Lennox and Richmond (1578-1659) |
| Date earliest | probably about 1633 |
| Date latest | about 1650 |
| Material | oil on canvas |
| Measurements | 76.8 x 63.8 cm |
| Inscription | front (around the frame) 'Frances Howard Duchesse of Richmond and Lenox Daughter of Thomas / Lord Howard of Bindon who was Second Sonne to Thomas Duke of Norfolk / Whose Mother was the Lady Elisabeth Stafford Eldest daughter to / Edward Duke of Buckingham. Her Grace was borne / the 27th of Julie: An.o Dni: 1577 London 1633.' |
| Description | As the inscription on the frame of this painting clearly states, Frances Howard was proud of her lineage from two Dukes, her father was Thomas, 1st Viscount Howard of Bindon, second son of Thomas, 3rd Duke of Norfolk and his mother Lady Elisabeth was daughter of Edward, Duke of Buckingham. A noted beauty she had many suitors and married three times. First to Henry Pranell (d. 1599), a rich wine merchant; next to Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (1537-1621) whom she married by dispensation 'the marriage being performed clandestinely in their private house'. It is recorded that when she became arrogant during their marriage about the Dukes in her lineage he is said to have tapped her cheek saying: 'Frank! Frank! How long is it since you married the vintner?'. Following the death of Lord Hertford less than two months passed before Frances Howard married her third husband Ludovic Stuart, 2nd Duke of Lennox (1574-1624), Privy Councillor and Steward of the Household to James I who created him Duke of Richmond in 1623. She died in 1639 and was buried alongside him in Westminster Abbey according to her wishes. The present half-length painting is a poor contemporary copy, probably by a British artist, after a lost, full-length original by Anthony Van Dyck of 1633, the most important surviving version of which is a studio copy at Longleat House. Several other portraits of Frances Howard also exist. |
| Subject | portrait (Frances Howard Duchesse of Richmond and Lenox) |
| Collection | English Heritage (Kenwood House) |
| Current accession number | 88019174 |
| Previous accession number(s) | 24; 357 |
| Acquisition details | Given to the Nation by the Honourable Mrs Grenville Howard on the request of her mother-in-law Margaret Hyde, 19th Countess of Suffolk 1974. |
| Provenance | Suffolk collection (not recorded); by descent until 1974. |
| Principal publications | Jacob, J., The Suffolk Collection: Catalogue of Paintings, London, 1974, no. 24. |
| Notes |
The best surviving version of this portrait, after a lost original by Van Dyck is at Longleat House. |
| Rights status | © English Heritage Photo Library |
| Author | Francesco Nevola |
