Portrait of Mr Symonds

This oil on wood portrait dates from the Tudor period and is titled ‘Portrait of Mr Symonds’. The painting shows Mr Symonds with a hunting bird on his glove and is an important early example of an English equestrian portrait. It is also unusual in its depiction of a clearly identifiable provincial landscape as the background, in this case England’s second city at the time - Norwich. The subject of the portrait may be the John Symonds who is buried in the graveyard of St George’s church in the Tombland area of Norwich. However Symonds was a relatively common surname in the City and County during that period so the identity of the sitter remains a mystery.