Anne, Countess of Pembroke (Lady Anne Clifford)
- Artist: William Larkin
- Date: circa 1618
- Medium: oil on panel
- Dimensions: 22 5/8 in. x 17 1/8 in. (575 mm x 435 mm)
- Portrays: Anne, Countess of Pembroke (Lady Anne Clifford)
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
In “Anne, Countess of Pembroke” William Larkin captures Lady Anne Clifford at about 28 years old. The sitter wrote in her diary that his portrait had ‘a peak of hair on my forehead, and a dimple in my chin’. Larkin works with oil on panel, using layered color to render her black ruff, the pearls in her earrings and lace collar. Notice how she places her hand in lap, suggesting calm and authority. The painting was made this summer at Knole in 1618; the same year Anne noted it in her diary, confirming accuracy. She had married Richard Sackville and then Philip Herbert, yet continued to fight for her inheritance of Clifford estates. The panel measures just over 22 inches wide, allowing you to see fine details up close.
See it in person
Anne, Countess of Pembroke (Lady Anne Clifford) is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
