English School Circa 1590 Portrait of a Gentleman, in hat an...

Estimate

£30,000 - £50,000

English School
Circa 1590
Portrait of a Gentleman, in hat and high collar
Inscribed to the left with divinus snake, and figure holding weight and wings. Inscribed below, 'Quot Capita / Nemo Ex Omni Parte Vitas'.
To the right hand side of the figure there is a blindfolded maiden holding a sail, standing upon an armillary sphere and crown. Inscribed, 'H.H Tot Cententia' and below, 'Est Virtus Rarar Quam Non Fortuna Gubernat', with coat of arms below.
Oil on panel 

From the Christie's 1965 sale catalogue:

"Notes on the emblems (with acknowledgements to Roy Strong): The child alludes to the sitter's high aspirations (Quot capita i.e. so much to be striven for) which are dogged by his poverty, and the motto beneath laments that "No one is blessed in every aspect", while the serpent is the attribute of Prudence and the compasses are emblematic of Constancy; the female Figure represents Fortune and the emblem utilises a favourite Renaissance theme of the powers of the Goddess over the destiny of man (tot sententiae i.e. so much suffering to be endured) and the motto beneath, which is taken from Ovid, reads "Rare indeed is the virtue not piloted by Fortune"."

Provenance:
Beenham Court Sale, Christie's, 11 May 1928, lot 100 (45 gns);
T. Brooks;
Captain E. G. Spencer-Churchill, Northwick Park, no. 99;
His sale, Christie's, 25 June 1965, lot 5 (as English School circa 1590)

Dimensions: 
(Panel) 33 in. (H) x 24 in. (W)
(Frame) 37 in. (H) x 28.5 in. (W)