Primary sourcePainting1588
Walter Ralegh portrait
1588
An 1588 oil portrait of a bearded man in a silver doublet and fur-trimmed cloak, with the inscriptions AMOR ET VIRTUTE and AETATIS SVAE 34 AN 1588. The painter is unknown.
This 1588 portrait shows Raleigh at court in his mid-thirties, presenting himself through dress, jewels and a Latin motto.
About this source
What it is
This is an oil portrait dated 1588, with an anonymous painter. It shows a bearded man with dark curly hair in a pale silver embroidered doublet with rows of pearl-like buttons, and a brown fur-trimmed black cloak with pearl-studded ribbons. He wears a pearl earring and rests his left hand on a green ledge. The inscriptions read AMOR ET VIRTUTE and AETATIS SVAE 34 AN 1588.
Why it matters
The portrait dates from Raleigh's years at court in Elizabeth's reign. Its Latin inscriptions, meaning 'love and virtue' and 'in the thirty-fourth year of his age', present the sitter with a motto and an age, which was a common way of showing character and status in portraits of the time.
Look closer
- What do the clothing, jewels and inscriptions tell viewers about the sitter?
- Why might the painting include a motto and an age?
- What does the portrait leave out, since the painter is unknown?
This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sir Walter Raleigh on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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