James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough (c.1552-1629)
British (English) School
Category
Art / Miniatures
Date
circa 1625
Materials
Watercolour on vellum
Measurements
41 x 49 mm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Stourhead, Wiltshire
NT 731890
Summary
Portrait miniature, watercolour painting on vellum, James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough (c.1552-1629), British (English) School, c.1625. Oval. Head and shoulders portrait of an elderly man, turned slightly to the right, gazing at the spectator, wearing a fur-lined coat and falling ruff, holding staff of office. Brown eyes, grey hair and spade beard, pale face. Plain background painted in a broad mulberry-coloured wash. James Ley was an English judge and politician. He sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1622. He was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland and then in England and was Lord High Treasurer from 1624 to 1628. On 31 December 1624, James I created him Baron Ley, of Ley in the County of Devon, and on 5 February 1626, Charles I created him Earl of Marlborough. Both titles became extinct upon the death of the 4th Earl of Marlborough in 1679. He was a younger son of Henry Ley (d. 1574), of Teffont Evias, Wiltshire, where he was born. He attended both Cambridge and Oxford Universities, graduating from Brasenose College in 1574. He then trained as a barrister, becoming a bencher of Lincolns Inn and reader of Furnival's Inn. Ley was a founder member of the Society of Antiquaries. He married (i) Mary Pettie (ii) Mary Pierson and (iii) The Hon Jane Boteler
Marks and inscriptions
on reverse '6'
Makers and roles
British (English) School