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Product Description

An extraordinary carving from the period of Henry VIII or the early years of Elisabeth I this depicts a male scholar, possibly a reformer at the time of the Reformation, wearing the clothing of the period – a low cap with a narrow brim, a pleated shirt and doublet with puffed shoulders and cuffed elbows. Interestingly the face is distinctive, possibly representing a known but as yet un-identified individual, with a distinctive Roman nose, curly hair and jutting chin. The man holds a book with his left hand and points with his finger to show the audience that he is marking a page. The portrait is framed within a window surrounded by grotesque scrolls, above a mask and pair of grotesque foliated scrolls.

Although the subject has not been identified, the iconography points to knowledge and scholarship and certainly relates to the turmoil engulfing northern Europe in the mid 16th century.

Provenance: Beedham Antiques, England

English, c. 1540-60