Title: Portrait of Christopher, Lord Delvin (d. before 1680)
Date: c.1660-1665
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
72 x 60 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 1976
Object Number: NGI.4142
DescriptionDelvin was a courtesy title in the family of the Nugents, Earls of Westmeath. Christopher, Lord Delvin, was the first son of Richard, 2nd Earl of Westmeath. Two of his own sons became Earls of Westmeath. Here, Lord Delvin wears a long brown wig, and a fine doublet (a close fitting body garment) of satin or silk, with fine lace collar. The artist, Gaspar Smitz, was trained in the Low Countries and is thought to have come to England after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. He was in Dublin by 1681 and was admitted to the Dublin Guild of Saint Luke. This portrait may have been painted in London as cross-channel traffic was routine for members of the merchant and landed classes.
Label TextDelvin was a courtesy title in the family of the Nugents, earls of Westmeath. Christopher, Lord Delvin, was the son of Richard, 2nd Earl of Westmeath. Two of his own sons became Earl of Westmeath in succession. In this restrained portrait by Smitz, probably painted in London, Delvin wears a fine doublet (a close-fitting body garment) of satin or silk, with a fashionable fine lace collar. Smitz, an artist believed to have come to England after the Restoration of Charles II, was in Dublin by 1681 and admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke.