Henry Danvers, Earl of Danby 1573 - 1644

This portrait painted circa 1635, is the only full-length portrait in van Dyck's collection and it is renowned as one of his greatest English portraits. The portrait passed as an heirloom to Danby's nephew, John Danvers, and was presented by his son, Sir Joseph Danvers, to Sir Robert Walpole. It was subsequently among the pictures acquired by Catherine the Great with the Walpole collection in 1779 (Varshavskaya p. 127 No. 24). It is now located in the Hermitage in St Petersburgh.

Enlarged view.

View the original portrait at the Hermitage, St Petersburgh. Read about the acquisition of the Walpole collection including the portrait of Danby by Catherine the Great in 1779.

Other pictures of Henry Danvers

National Portrait Gallery Item D19537 by Abraham Blooteling (Bloteling) . Date: circa 1670-1690 . Medium: engraving . Measurements: 9 5/8 in. x 6 3/8 in. (243 mm x 161 mm)

There is a black and white mezzotint portrait of the van Dyck painting by Valentine Green.

The portrait (below) of Danby is held at Woburn Abbey, the home of the Dukes of Bedford.

Jane found this print in a secondhand book shop in Bath in 1990. It is a sketch taken from the painting in Woburn Abbey. In the painting the tunic and sash are deep crimson in colour. The print was published in Portraits of Illustrious Personages of Great Britain by Edmund Lodge.

Picture drawn by Marie Battersby for the book Macnamara's Memorials of the Danvers Family Centennial Edition - 1995 from a photo, courtesy of Philip Phillips of Dauntsey, Wiltshire, 1990, from the Van Dyck painting.

Biography

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Updated   19 Jul 2006                     (C) Gary Danvers                    Page opened    9 Aug 2004