Painting Tudor Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl Derby By George Perfect Harding

1 Fine Work of Art Small British Important 19th Century Painting Portrait of Elizabethan Tudor Aristocrat Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl Of Derby.

Subject half length portrait of the known aristocrat Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl Of Derby in front profile view facing directly at the viewer with a curious powerful gaze. He is wearing a magnificant gothic black Elizabethan tight fitting jacket doublet, an opulent white lace ruff neck collar. He has thick brown fair curly hair, with light blue-grey eyes, a moustache and thin goat beard, he is projecting his high status in his dress & posture pose.

Title "Portrait of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby (1559-1594)".

Medium watercolour & goauche.

Circa early 19th century dated 1810.

Set in a rather traditional decorative later black & gilt frame & mounted which enhances this work of art, the frame size being 21.5 cm high and 20 cm wide.

So collectible and sought after the subject portraiture matter.

Signed by the known artist George Perfect Harding 1781-1853.

Biography of the artist George Perfect Harding a well known British 19th Century artist who was born in the year 1781. It is known that the National Portrait Gallery which is London featured George Perfect Harding's work in the past. His paintings have sold at auctions around the world with the current highest sold price been 8,074 US dollars which was for a portrait of James I King of Scotland as James VI and King of England, which sold at Christie's.

George Perfect Harding (1781 – 23 December 1853) was an English portrait painter and copyist. He was a son of Silvester Harding of Pall Mall, London. Adopting his father's profession, he practised miniature-painting, and exhibited at the Royal Academy at intervals between 1802 and 1840; but, like his father, he mainly devoted himself to making water-colour copies of historical portraits. Harding visited family seats of the nobility, royal palaces, and college halls. He produced highly finished copy portraits. He was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1839, but withdrew in 1847. Towards the end of his life he had money troubles, and sold his collections of drawings.

Harding died at Hercules Buildings, Lambeth, where he had resided for more than thirty years, on 23 December 1853. He left a large family by a second wife. His portrait was engraved by J. Brown, from a miniature by himself, in 1826. A collection of his works went to the print room of the British Museum.

In 1822–3 Harding published a series of eighteen portraits of the Deans of Westminster, engraved by James Stow, R. Grave, and others, to illustrate John Preston Neale and Edward Wedlake Brayley's History of Westminster Abbey. This was followed in 1825 by Ancient Oil Paintings and Sepulchral Brasses in the Abbey Church of St. Peter, Westminster, with descriptions by Thomas Moule. Among other historical works to which he supplied the plates was John Heneage Jesse's Memoirs of the Court of England during the Reign of the Stuarts, 1840. He gave much time to the preparation of a manuscript account of the Princes of Wales, illustrated with portraits and heraldic devices.

In 1840 Harding took a leading part in establishing the Granger Society, the object of which was the publication of previously unengraved historical portraits; through lack of support the society came to an end, after publishing a few prints, early in 1843. Harding carried on the work on his own account, and during the next five years issued a series of fifteen plates, engraved by Joseph Brown and William Greatbach, with biographical notices by Moule. The copperplates of these afterwards passed into the hands of John Russell Smith of Soho Square, who reissued the work in 1869.

References "Harding, George Perfect" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Biography of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby (1559 – 16 April 1594), was an English nobleman and politician. He was the son of Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby, and Lady Margaret Clifford. Ferdinando had a place in the line of succession to Elizabeth I according to the will of Henry VIII, after his mother, whom he predeceased. His sudden death led to suspicions of poisoning amid fears of Catholic plots to overthrow Elizabeth.

In about 1572, when he was thirteen, Stanley matriculated as a member of the University of Oxford. A year later he was called to her Court by Queen Elizabeth, "to be shaped in good manners". He was subsequently summoned to Parliament in his father's Barony of Strange (of Knokyn) and became known as "Ferdinando, Lord Straunge". In 1579 he married Alice Spencer, the youngest daughter of Sir John Spencer of Althorp by his marriage to Catherine Kytson.

Ferdinando was a supporter of the arts, enjoying music, dance, poetry, and singing, but above all, he loved the theatre. He was the patron of many writers, including Robert Greene, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, and William Shakespeare. Shakespeare may have been employed by Strange in his early years as one of Lord Strange's Men, when this troupe of acrobats and tumblers was reorganized, emphasizing the performing of plays. By 1590, Strange was allied with the Admiral's Men, performing at The Theatre (owned by James Burbage, father of Richard Burbage).

During this period, Ferdinando remained circumspect about his true opinions on religion and other matters. The Jesuit writer Robert Parsons expressed frustration, stating that "diverse men" were not satisfied "with the course of this lord hitherto". Parsons hoped that the accession of the Stanleys to the English throne might aid the Roman Catholic cause, but that "the Earl of Derby's religion is held to be doubtful, as some do think him to be of all three religions [Roman Catholic; Church of England; Puritan] and others of none." Parsons added that "no side will esteem or trust him" because of this. Nevertheless, Elizabeth's chief minister Lord Burghley received several reports that "Papists" were attempting to build support for Ferdinando, whom they might agree unanimously to make king, as one of his informants stated.

His death was mysterious. A few months after the Hesketh affair, he was suddenly taken ill with a severe and violent sickness. Poisoning was suspected. It was claimed that Hesketh had threatened him that he would soon die if he did not accept his plans. He was said to have been poisoned by the Jesuits, his gentleman of horse being suspected of administering the poison. The historian John Stow recorded his illness in great detail. It has been suggested that poisonous mushrooms were used.

Provenance from Heydon Grange, Norfolk in the Shires & Fine Art auction labels verso and now in the collection of Cheshire Antiques Consultant.

We select & sell our paintings based solely upon subject, quality & significance.

Highly sought after work of art.

Condition report.

Offered in fine used condition. The front painting surface is in good overall order with craquelure and foxing stains in places. The frame has various general wear, some chips, losses, stains in places commensurate with usage & age.

We offer our clients exceptional professional customer service.

Dimensions in centimetres of the frame

High (21.5 cm)
Wide (20 cm)
Depth (2 cm)


Reserve: $4,978.00

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