William Larkin

By descent in the family of the sitter's aunt, Anne Hopeton (1561-1625), who married Sir William Pope, 1^st Earl of Downe (1573-1631) at Wroxton Abbey, near Banbury, Oxfordshire, to their son, Thomas Pope, 3^rd Earl of Downe (1598-1668);
By descent to Thomas Pope, 4^th Earl of Downe, upon whose death in May 1668 the picture passed by inheritance to his sister, Frances Pope, who married Francis North (1637-1685), later 1^st Baron Guilford, and settled at Wroxton Abbey;
By descent to their son, Francis North, 2^nd Baron Guilford (1673-1729);
By descent to his son, Francis North, 3^rd Baron Guilford and 1^st Earl of Guilford (1704-1790);
By descent to his son, Frederick North, 2^nd Earl of Guilford (1732-1792), who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain, from 1770 to 1782; 
By descent to his son, George Augustus North, 3^rd Earl of Guilford (1757-1802), who died without male issue;
By inheritance, at Wroxton, to his second daughter, Susan North (1797-1884), who married John Doyle, later North, and was created 10^th Baroness North in 1841,
By descent to their son William North, 11^th Baron North (1836-1932);
Sold by order of Lord North's Trustees, Wroxton Abbey sale, on the premises, E. H. Tipping, 24 May 1933, lot 681 (as by Issac Oliver), to Benjamin Solomon Guinness (1868-1947); 
Thence by descent to the present owner.

Vertue, Notebooks, IV, Walpole Society, vol. XXIV, London 1936, p. 191;
R. Strong, William Larkin; Icons of Splendour, Milan 1995, p. 72.

STRUCTURE The panel consists of three vertically joined sections and is in good, stable condition. It has not been cradled and continues to provide a flat surface for the painting. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in exceptionally good condition, with no apparent damage or significant loss of paint. There is some very old minor retouching, faintly visible to the naked eye, to the panel joins in the upper section of the painting. A small area of this retouching has started to lift, upper left, and there is a very small area of resultant paint loss, just visible in the catalogue illustration. There is an old discoloured varnish overall, which lends a yellowish tint to the lighter pigments and obscures some of the finer detail in the darker areas, particularly in the sitter's doublet. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals the painting to be largely untouched and in original condition, particularly in the face and body of the sitter. It confirms the minor retouching along the panel joins in the upper section of the picture previously mentioned, and reveals a small amount of very minor old infilling to craquelure in the lower section of the sitter's doublet, and in a few places in the sitter's hair. There are a small number of very minor scattered old retouchings in the background, however the face, the lace ruff and the majority of the hair all appear to be untouched and in original condition. FRAME Held in a partly painted, partly gilded carved wooden frame (an image of the picture in frame can be seen in the front of the catalogue, next to the expert contact page). To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present painting is one of a set of three portraits by Larkin, the others representing the sitter's first cousins Sir William Pope (1596-1624), later 2^nd Earl of Downe and his brother, Sir Thomas Pope (1598-1668), later 3^rd Earl of Downe, which originally hung at Wroxton Abbey, in Oxfordshire, and descended in the family until sold in 1933.

A prominent courtier and considerable landowner, Chandos was the son of William, 4th Baron Chandos (d.1602), and his wife Mary (d.1624), daughter of Sir Owen Hopeton (c.1519-1595), Keeper of the Tower of London. In 1608 he married Lady Anne Stanley, daughter and coheir of the 5th Earl of Derby, who was heir presumptive to the throne of England. The couple possibly had as many as six children, at least four of whom survived infancy, including George, 6th Baron Chandos (1620-1655), and William (d.1676), who succeded his brother as 7th Baron.

Chandos succeeded to the Barony in 1602, upon his father's death, and inherited the family seat at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, which became his principal residence. A man of considerable fortune Chandos and his wife lived in high style, and entertained lavishly. His hospitality was such that he was dubbed localy 'King of the Cotswolds', and was much beloved both at Court and in the country. Like his father Chandos was a keen patron of the arts, and patronized a company of players, who are recorded between 1604 and 1610. He appeared in many tournaments and masques at Court, including Ben Jonson's Challenge at Tilt at a Marriage in March 1614. He is also accredited by some as the anonymous author of Horae subsecivae, published in 1620 and apparently written in about 1615.

Although his name was associated with the Bye plot in the early years of James I's reign, the King appears to have been fond of Chandos. He was appointed a Knight of the Bath in January 1605, when Prince Charles was created Duke of York, and was amoung the select group of courtiers created MA by the University of Oxford upon the King's visit to the city in August 1605. He succeeded his father as Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire and in 1609 was granted the keepership of Ditton Park in Buckinghamshire by the King.

From 1610 onwards Chandos spent increasing amounts of time travelling abroad, predominantly on account of ill health. His last known appearance at court was for the funeral of Queen Anne on 13^th May 1619, and he died at Spa in the Spanish Netherlands on 10^th August 1621. His body was taken back to England and buried in the family chapel at Sudeley.