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Painting of Sir Christopher Wray, Lord Chief Justice
Object: Painting
Exact Date: 1580
Country of Origin: England
Description: Sir Christopher Wray, from Lincolnshire, was elected to the post of Speaker of the House of Commons in April 1571, and then as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales in November 1574, until his death in June 1592. Popular with Queen Elizabeth I, he was given the profits of her coinage and grew wealthy enough to erect a grand house at Glentworth, Lincolnshire. However, having been a senior judge who passed sentence on Mary Queen of Scots in 1587, he absented himself from court feigning illness in fear of Queen Elizabeth’s reaction to the news.The portrait shows Wray in his robes of state, complete with the chain of office denoting his rank, showing the Tudor rose, the portcullis, and stylised sheaths of corn, upon which Elizabethan England grew rich.An inscription in the top right reads ‘Duce virtu te, comite industria, sorte contenutus’, translating as ‘Command virtue yourself, diligence comes, fate reduces’. A bidding all hardworking servants of the state should perhaps follow. While in the top left, is seen ‘Ć Tatis Sua, 54 1580’, or ‘His age, 54, 1580’.
Acc. No: 221
Item No: 72
Subject Type: Painting
Object Type: Portrait
Location: North Solar
Nationality: English
Mediums / Material: Oil on wood
Measurements Metric: w 61 cm x h 75 cm
Measurements Imperial: 24"W x 29˝"H
Labels and Marks: Ć Tatis Sua, 54 1580