William Larkin: Portrait of Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset (1613)

(Kenwood House, London, UK)

A painting by the English artist William Larkin (1580-1624). The gentleman on this painting is Richard Sackville (1589 – 1624), the 3rd earl of Dorset. Richard Sackville was the son of Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset (1561–1609) and Lady Margaret Sackville (1562 – 1591). At the death of his father he succeeded him as earl of Dorset and in 1614 he succeeded his father as Lord Lieutenant of Sussex (a Lord Lieutenant is British king's personal representative in each county of the United Kingdom). Richard Sackville married with Lady Anne Clifford (1590-1676) in 1609 but the marriage was not a happy one. A main reason for the unhappy marriage was Sackville who was a prominent figure at the court of king James I of England but was unfaithful, extravagant and a licentious spendthrift. Another source of problems within the marriage was the disagreement between the couple over the inheritance claim of Lady Anne Clifford. Anne Clifford was engaged in a legal battle with her relatives over the family estates. Her husband believed Anne Clifford should settle the inheritance case rather than pursue through the courts and in 1617 Richard signed away her claim on contested ancestral lands to James I, in return for a cash payment which the Richard used to pay off his gambling debts (Anne finally regained the family estates in 1643). The couple had five children: three sons who all died before adulthood and two daughters. Richard Sackville died in 1624 and was succeeded by his brother, Edward Sackville (1591–1652). Richard Sackville is identified on this piece by his clothing which appeared on an inventory list dated on 2nd June 1617. This painting is from 1613.