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Lady Anne Clifford was 28 years old when she sat for this portrait, by William Larkin, in 1618. At this relatively young age, she was already a remarkable woman. Her father, the 3rd Earl of Cumberland, had died when she was just 15. But as his sole and female heir, Lady Anne was not entitled to inherit the vast family estate; it went instead to her uncle. Lady Anne saw this as an injustice, and fought long and hard for what she believed was her due, eventually winning her battle in 1643. For this reason, she is often seen as an early feminist.
When Lady Anne died, she was the wealthiest woman in the country. But before her passing, she had been a generous patron of the arts, pouring money into building and renovation projects in northern England and commissioning paintings of, and books about, her family. She is also remembered as a literary figure in her own right, having kept a diary throughout her teenage years and her early 20s. Lady Anne was, in sum, a learned and cultured woman who, according to the poet John Donne, ‘knew well how to discourse of all things’.
William Larkin was an obvious choice to paint this portrait. He was the favoured artist in the court of King James I, although it appears that he never painted any member of the royal family themselves. Whilst this portrait of Lady Anne includes Larkin’s trademark intricate textiles, it is unlike many of his others...