STEVEN VAN DER MEULEN | PORTRAIT OF GEORGE DACRES OF CHESHUNT (1533-1580), THREE-QUARTER LENGTH, IN A DARK GREEN DOUBLET, FUR CLOAK, HAT, AND SWORD

In the family of the sitter;

Thence by descent to the sitter's great grandson, Thomas;

Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 13 July 1994, lot 15 (as Portrait of a gentleman said to be Thomas Dacres of Cheshunt);

With Lane Fine Art, London;

From whom acquired 22 April 2003.

George Dacres was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Dacres, from whom he inherited the manor of Cheshunt and lands in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Kent, Middlesex and Warwickshire; he also maintained a house in London. Through his mother's side of the family, which included the 4th Duke of Norfolk, he was brought into Parliament for Castle Rising, although his only recorded activity in Parliament concerns a bill for the river Lea in 1571. He and his wife, also named Elizabeth, had two daughters and four sons, the eldest of whom predeceased George, who died at Poleworth, Warwickshire in 1580. Steven van der Meulen was born in Antwerp and became a member of the Guild of St. Luke there in 1552. He relocated to London in 1560 and stayed until 1563, where he had a successful career as a Tudor court portraitist. He is known for the "Barrington Park" full-length portrait type of Elizabeth I, which was likely developed in response to a court campaign to eradicate unflattering images of the Queen. He also specialized in three-quarter length portraits of courtiers, the format of which inspired the present painting. Van der Meulen most likely painted Dacres' portrait during his three years in England, when George would have been in his early 30s. This painting was previously described as depicting Sir Thomas Dacres, the oldest surviving son and heir of George Dacres' estate, but the dating makes this impossible.