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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1617

Portrait of Sir Francis Bacon

William Larkin · c. 1617

An oil portrait of Francis Bacon painted around 1617 by William Larkin, showing him as Baron Verulam and Viscount St Albans.

This contemporary portrait depicts Bacon by title as Baron Verulam and Viscount St Albans.

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Oil painting of a man in a black wide-brimmed hat, white lace collar, and black robe with gold-patterned sleeves, holding a small object at his waist. Inscription at top left reads 'Francis Bacon Baron Verulam Viscount St Albans'. Dark background.
William Larkin, Portrait of Sir Francis Bacon, c. 1617.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting by William Larkin, made around 1617, shows Francis Bacon in a black wide-brimmed hat, white lace collar, and a black robe with gold-patterned sleeves, holding a small object at his waist. The inscription names him as 'Francis Bacon Baron Verulam Viscount St Albans'.

Why it matters

Created while Bacon was still living, this portrait is a near-contemporary likeness and records the titles he held as a nobleman and statesman. Together with other portraits made around the same time, it shows how Bacon's image as a powerful figure in English public life was captured and circulated.

Look closer

  • What details of clothing or objects suggest Bacon's wealth and rank?
  • Why might several painters have been commissioned to portray the same man around the same years?
  • What is missing from this formal image that you might want to know about Bacon as a thinker?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Francis Bacon on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black and white engraved portrait of a bearded man with curly hair, wearing a wide-brimmed dark hat, a large white lace collar, and a dark embroidered doublet, against a shaded background. The caption below reads 'LORD BACON'.Painting

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Francis Bacon, Engraving by C. Cook after Houbraken

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