This series is brought to you in collaboration with Art UK, which brings the nation’s art together on one digital platform and tells the stories behind the art. You can see more art from the Valence House museum on Art UK here, and find out more on its website. They owned a number of manor houses in Barking and Dagenham, including Valence House, now a museum. The Fanshawes were a prominent local family who were key players in local, national and international history. This portrait is one of 73 Fanshawe family portraits currently held by Valence House in east London, including Sir Richard with his son, his wife Lady Ann, and his daughters Margaret and Ann. Sir Richard’s wife, Lady Ann, wrote about her life with her husband, producing a vivid account of their experiences during this tumultuous period of British history. The column in the background is known as Solomon’s column and symbolises wisdom, reinforcing the meaning of the painting’s other hidden messages. He was also ambassador to Spain from 1664 until his death, in Madrid, age 58 in 1666. He was Charles II’s ambassador to Portugal in 1662-3, during which he aided the marriage arrangements between the king and the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. The paper Fanshawe holds in his hand is a symbol of his literary skill and political achievements. His most notable work was the translation into English of the Italian tragicomic play Il Pastor Fido (The Faithful Shepherd) by Giovanni Battista Guarini. A skilled linguist, he spoke Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French, and was a published poet and translator. The mask at the bottom of the painting symbolises Fanshawe’s love of dramatic arts.
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