While buildings burn, ships founder, and snakes and toads circle him, this young English aristocrat leans casually against a tree. His downturned boot strikes a melancholic note, but a plaque inscribed with the words Rien m’estone (Nothing astounds me), which hangs near his head, underscores how unmoved he is by the unfolding calamities. Browne was a Catholic at a time when plots against Elizabeth I, a Protestant, had created a climate of suspicion toward those loyal to Rome. A visual essay in stoicism, this painting captures the defiance of a man who felt unjustly persecuted for his beliefs and wrongfully accused of treason. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2025
