Portrait of Mary Rogers, Lady Harington

This painting is one of the two earliest known paintings by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. Its provenance suggests that the sitter may be a member of the Harington family of Kelston, near Bath. In her left hand she holds strings of pearls threaded into a shape of four knots. These resemble the ‘Harington knots’ that feature in the Hartington heraldic arms. The distinctive black-and-white pattern on her sleeves and bodice also echos the Harington arms.

The sitter’s age and the date of the painting are written in the top left-hand corner: ‘Aetatis suae 23 Ano 1592’ - that is, ‘aged 23 in the year 1592’. Although her date of birth is not known, the likeliest candidate is Mary Rogers (died 1634), wife of the poet and courtier Sir John Harington (1561-1612), a godson of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603).