An Unknown Gentleman, called Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart (1649-1727)
Sir Peter Lely (Soest 1618 – London 1680)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1660
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1245 x 1003 mm (49 x 39 1/2 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Ham House, Surrey
NT 1139945
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, An Unknown Gentleman, called Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart (1649-1727) by Sir Peter Lely (Soest 1618 – London 1680), circa 1660. Inscribed in yellow script, top right: Tollemache Earl of Dysart born 1648. / Son of ye Duchefs of Lauderdale. A three-quarter-length portrait of a young man, turned to the left, gazing at the spectator, long light brown natural hair falling to his shoulders, and wearing a breastplate over a pale brown silk coat, with slashed sleeves and under a scarlet sash warn over his right shoulder, he has an elaborate sword belt and his left hand is on his sword hilt whils his right hand figers his sash. Rocks and foliage to the right, and a distant view of trees and hills to the left. The traditional identification cannot be accepted without reserve.
Provenance
In 1677, 1679, 1683, 1727 and c.1820 inventories and thence by descent until acquired in 1948 by HM Government when Sir Lyonel, 4th Bt (1854 – 1952) and Sir Cecil Tollemache, 5th Bt (1886 – 1969) presented Ham House to the National Trust, and entrusted to the care of the Victoria & Albert Museum, until 1990, when returned to the care of the National Trust, and to which ownership was transferred in 2002
Credit line
Ham House, The Dysart Collection (purchased by HM Government in 1948 and transferred to the National Trust in 2002)
Makers and roles
Sir Peter Lely (Soest 1618 – London 1680), artist