238 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 150. 



queen had made up her mind to nominate her 

 painter. It is true, that at the Strawberry Hill 

 sale might be seen a portrait of Elizabeth when a 

 girl, ascribed to Zuccaro ; but this could only have 

 been a copy, provided the date of his coming to 

 England is stated correctly. So little, after all, is 

 known of the history of royal portrait-painting in 

 England in the sixteenth century, that any addi- 

 tional information may seem of value. It is with 

 this view that I have copied a document which 

 has escaped the notice, I believe, of all the writers 

 on the subject, and which gives us the name of 

 a painter unknown to Wulpole and his recent 

 editors, Dallaway and "Wornum. This document 

 is preserved among the Cottonian Charters, iv. 26., 

 and is a warrant to George Gower, the queen's 

 Serjeant-Painter, in the following terms : 



" Et.izABKTH, by tlie grace of God, Queene of Eng- 

 lande, Fraunce, and Irelande, Defendour of the Faithe, 

 &c. To all men unto wliome thies our present Ires 

 shall come, greetinge. Knowe ye, that wee of our 

 espiall grace, certen knowledge, and mere inoctin, and 

 as well for and in consideracon and recorapence of the 

 good and faithful} service unto us heretofore donne by 

 our welbeloved subjecte George Gower, our Sargeant 

 Paynter, as for dyvers other good causes us there unto 

 movinge, have geven and graunted, and by thies our 

 present ITes doe give and graunte to our saide subjecte 

 and servant George Gower, full, sole, and lawfull prive- 

 ledge, lycence, power, and aucthorytie, tliat he the saide 

 George Gower, by himself, his deputie and deputies, 

 assigr.ee and assignes only (and none other), shall and 

 maie from hensfortli, for and duringe his naturall lyfe, 

 make or cause to be made all and all maner of pur- 

 traictes and pictures of our person, phisiognomy, and 

 proporcon of our bodye, in oyle cullers upon bourdes 

 or canvas, or to grave the same in copper, or to cutt 

 the same in woode, or to printe the same beinge cutt 

 in copper or woode, or otherwise ; and the same pur- 

 traictes, pictures, and pioporcons so beinge graven or 

 cutt, to printe or cause to be prynted. And him the 

 saide George Gower, our officer, maker, paynter, cutter, 

 gravour, and printer of all purtraictes, pictures, and 

 proporcons of our bodye and person, as aforesaide, for 

 and duringe the saide terme of his naturall lyfe, wee 

 doe cieate, make, ordayne, constytute, and appointe by 

 thies piites. And our further will and pleasure is, and 

 by thies our piite letters wee doe forbydd, cnjoyne, and 

 straytely prohibite all and every other persone and 

 persons whatsoever. Englishmen or strangers, denyzens 

 or not denyzens, any wise to entermeddle w"" the 

 makinge, paynlinge, prynlinge, cuttinge, or gravinge 

 of any purtralcte, picture, or proporcon of our bodye 

 and person, or any parte therof, in oyle cullers upon 

 bourdes, canvas, copp r, wuode, stone, or in any other 

 tbinge whatsoever, other than the said George Gower, 

 his deputie or deputies, assijjnee or assignes, and also 

 to deale or intermeddle w"" any other the workes and 

 thinges apperteynyn;;e, incydent, and belonginge to the 

 office of our Sergeant Paynter aforesaide, duringe all 

 the terme of his lyfe aforesaide, upon payne that every 

 persone or persons so entermedlinge with any tbinge 



or worke aforemenconed, contrary to the tenour and 

 true meanynge of thies our present Ires, shall forfecte, 

 for every tyme tliat he or they shall so entermeddle 

 or deale w*'' any the premisses, the some of tenne 

 poimdes of lawfull money of Englande, the one halfe 

 therof to be taken to our use, and the other halfe to 

 the saide George Gower and his assignes, to his and 

 their use and uses ; Exceptinge only one Nichas 

 Hilliard, to whome it shall or maie be lawfull to ex- 

 ercyse and make purtraicts, pictures, or proporcons of 

 our body and person in small compasse in lymnynge 

 only, and not otherwise. And moreover wee doe, by 

 thies our present letters, appoynte and aucthoryse the 

 saide George Gower, by himselfe, his deputie and depu- 

 ties, assignee and assignes, to enter any shipp or shippes, 

 vessell or vessells, warehouses, workehouses, shoppes, 

 chambers, sellers, sollers, faires, marekettes, martes, and 

 all or any other place or places whatsoever within this 

 our llealme of Englande, as well upon the water as 

 upon the lande, either w"'in lyberties and franchises or 

 w">out, duringe thaforesaide terme, at the pleasure and 

 discreacon of the said George Gower, his deputie or 

 deputies, assignee or assignes, there to viewe, searche, 

 and seeke for all maner of purtreictes, pictures, and 

 proporcons of our body and person, or any parte therof, 

 made or to be made, paynted, cutt, graven, or prynted, 

 contrary to the tenour and true meanynge of thies our 

 present Ires, by any person or persons whatsoever (ex- 

 cepte before excepted) durynge the tyme aforesaide. 

 And the same so founde, to deface, take, carry e awaie, 

 kepe, and convert to the use of us and of the saide 

 George Gower or bis assignes. Straytly charginge 

 and commandinge all and every our Justices, Mayours, 

 Sheriffijs, Bayliffes, Constables, Hedborowes, Cus- 

 tomers, Comptrollers, Searchers, and all other our offi- 

 cers, mynisters, and subjectes whatsoever, to ayde, 

 strengthen, and assiste our saide subjecte George 

 Gower, his deputie and deputies, assignee and assignes, 

 in the due execucon of all and every thinge and thinges 

 herein menconed, given and graunted, as you and every 

 of you doe tender our favour, and will answere to the 

 contrary. And thies our present Ires patentes, or the 

 inrolement therof, shall be unto you and every of you a 

 sufficyent warrant and discharge in that behalfe. 



" Yeoven at our the daie 



of in the xxvj*'' yere of our Reigne." 



This remarkable privilege is fairly engrossed on 

 vellum ; but from the date being left blank, and 

 absence of the seal, it does not appear to have been 

 executed. The proof of this would be its enrol- 

 ment on the patent roll of that year, Nov. 1583 — 

 Nov. 1584. The object of the patent is clearly 

 to give George Gower the sole authority to paint 

 the queen's portrait in oil colours, and to limit 

 Nicholas Hilliard to miniatures. It would seem, 

 therefore, that Gower must have been an artist of 

 reputation, although his fame died with him. Any 

 further particulars respecting him I have been 

 unable to find, except a copy of a warrant not 

 dated in the Lansdowne MS. 105., art. 27., which 

 authorises him, under the title of the queen's 

 " Sargeant Paynter," to take up and provide, for 



