Anonymous: Portrait of Sir Christopher Hatton (17th century)

(National Portrait Gallery, London, UK)

A painting by an unknown 17th century artist. Sir Christopher Hatton (1540 – 1591) was an English politician at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Handsome and an excellent dancer, he attracted the attention of Elizabeth at a masque in 1561. As a favorite of the queen, he had a meteoric rise to power and became a member of the queen's bodyguard, captain of the yeomen of the guard, gentleman of the privy chamber, vice-chamberlain of the royal household, Chancellor of the University of Oxford, made a knight of the Garter in 1577 and in 1587 he was made Lord Chancellor (the highest ranking member of the ministers of The Crown). Hatton died in 1591 and was given a state funeral by the queen. This portrait is a 17th century copy, based upon a work of 1589.