Cornelis Ketel: portrait of Richard Goodricke of Ribston hall (1578)


(Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia)

A painting by the Dutch artist Cornelis Ketel (1548-1616). A typical portrait of the Elizabethan era, Richard Goodricke II of Ribston hall (1560-1601) was the son of Richard Goodricke and Clare Norton. Richard Goodricke II was the High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1591-1592. The most remarkable thing about this painting is the object that is painted in the upper right corner. This is a ball of flames with the Latin motto 'doersum nunquam’ (never downwards). This refers to the great comer of 1577 which was viewed by people all over Europe, including famous astronomers such as the Danish Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) and the Ottoman astronomer Taqi ad-Din (1526-1585). This portrait was made in 1578 when Richard Goodricke II became 18 and he most likely used this occasion to commission this painting and included the view of the comet.