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Notes
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Elizabeth Percy, Countess of Essex was the fifth daughter of Algernon Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland and his wife, Lady Anne Cecil, eldest daughter of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury. She was a member of the Howard family on her mother’s side, as the great-granddaughter of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, and would have socialised with both Suffolk and Berkshire branches of the Howard family, explaining the presence of her portrait in The Suffolk Collection. Elizabeth married Arthur Capel, 1st Earl of Essex in 1653. This portrait, painted around the same time, is derived from the double-portrait with her husband by Sir Peter Lely (NPG 5461). The pose and costume are drawn directly from the double portrait; however, a landscape background has replaced the drapery and classical bust seen in the larger work.
The glass globe held by the Countess is an unusual addition and has several symbolic meanings: the fragility of human life, the transience of terrestrial things, and the harmony of its perfect shape, easily broken. It may also be an attribute of the goddess Fortuna, who is often depicted seated or standing on a globe.
English Heritage, Kenwood
London
Title
Elizabeth Percy, Countess of Essex (1636–1718)
Date
c.1653
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 126.9 x W 101.6 cm
Accession number
88019176
Acquisition method
acquired as part of the Suffolk Collection
Work type
Painting
