Sir Francis Drake (1540-96), portrait painting, 1591
Portrait by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, 1591. Drake was the second man to circumnavigate the world, 1577-80, the first Englishman to do so and, given that Magellan was killed before his voyage was completed, the first commander of an expedition to return with full success. He is portrayed here with an array of accessories denoting his fame and achievements. The sword refers to his service to his country, the globe to his circumnavigation of the world, and his coat of arms and the Drake Jewel - a gift from Queen Elizabeth I. In the Armada campaign, Drake was a vice-admiral with his own force of 39 ships. After the defeat of the Armada he commanded a number of expeditions against the Spanish, both in Europe and America.
Size: 4728px × 5989px
Location: Royal Museums, Greenwich, London, UK
Photo credit: © ICP / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1500s, 1590s, 1591, 16th, archive, art, artwork, canvas, century, drake, fine, francis, gheeraerts, globe, historical, history, length, marcus, oil, painter, painters, painting, paintings, portrait, portraits, quarter, sir, younger
