Portrait of Anthony Maria Browne, 2nd Viscount Montagu
Date:
ca. 1590
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
74 × 42 inches (188 × 106.7 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Fund
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B2021.15
Gallery Label:
The French inscription 'Rien m’estone' translates to: Nothing astonishes me, or perhaps in this context: What more can I do? Using symbolic imagery, this portrait makes an impassioned claim for Anthony Maria Browne’s loyalty to his monarch, Elizabeth I. With her own subjects plotting against her Protestant regime, the queen also faced threats from Catholics abroad: in 1588, the King of Spain launched an armada carrying an invasion force to England. Consequently, English Catholics such as Browne were treated with deep suspicion. With his arms folded and legs crossed in melancholic fashion, he leans against an oak tree — a symbol of the strength of England. The frogs and snakes below symbolize those who slandered his reputation. In the distance, storms and shipwrecks recall the defeat of the Spanish Armada, providing a reminder that at her darkest hour, Browne’s family had ridden to Elizabeth I’s side. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2022