Follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck

Thomas Wentworth commissioned three portraits from van Dyck. The first was done before his departure to Ireland in 1633. The second, of which there are two autograph versions in Petworth and Welbeck Abbey and which relates to the present lot, was painted on his return from Ireland in 1636. The final portrait, probably painted in 1640, shows him with his secretary Sir Philip Mainwaring and coincides with his creation as first Earl of Stafford.
Upon his return to England from Ireland in 1639, Stafford became the principal adviser to King Charles I. Perceived as a tyrannical figure who came to embody the powers of absolute monarchy, Stafford became a scapegoat for the nation's grievances. The Long Parliament of 1640 called for his impeachment, but Stafford defended himself so ably that a bill of attainder had to be passed. Charles I succumbed to the clamour for Stafford's execution and consented to the bill. Stafford was beheaded on Tower Hill in 1641.