Portrait of Gray Brydges, fifth Baron Chandos, of Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire (1579–1621)
Date:
ca. 1615
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on panel
Dimensions:
23 3/8 x 17 1/8 inches (59.4 x 43.5 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.404
Gallery Label:
Gray Brydges, fifth Baron Chandos, was the archetypal Jacobean courtier. Young, dashing, and incredibly wealthy, Chandos made a name for himself through displays of his horsemanship at the Accession Day tournaments and performances at the annual court masques: elaborate theatrical displays in which courtiers would participate. Like many of his peers, Chandos dressed lavishly, spent extravagantly, and surrounded himself with a large retinue. Although often at court, he also spent prodigious sums on maintaining his household at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, which was left open for his neighbors to enjoy three days a week. Such was his reputation for largesse that he earned the nickname “King of the Cotswolds” (the Cotswolds being the area in England between Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire). This picture was probably painted to pair with another portrait of a now unknown sitter, which hangs nearby. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
