Dudley, the 3rd Baron North

Object Type

Oil painted portraits of noble or wealthy men and women became increasingly common in the 17th century. Important as it was to dress magnificently, it was also essential to be portrayed in one's finery. The portraits nearly always show the sitters splendidly dressed in the height of expensive fashion, in order to emphasise their status.

People

Dudley North (1581-1666) was one of the principal courtiers of James I. His family was linked by marriage with the Dudley family that had been so powerful at the Tudor court. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was a favourite of Elizabeth I and Dudley North's grandfather married the widow of his brother, Sir Henry Dudley.