CODART Canon

Portraits of Sir Thomas Gresham and his Wife Anne Fernely

Anthonis Mor, ca. 1563 — 1564
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

The outstanding portrait of Thomas Gresham (ca. 1519-1579) gives a startlingly powerful illusion of physical presence. Utrecht-trained Anthonis Mor painted both Habsburg rulers and wealthy merchants, like Gresham, the English queen Elizabeth I’s agent in Antwerp. A 2019 biography describes the ruthless Gresham as ‘the first true wizard of global finance’. In 1544, he married Anne Fernely (ca. 1520-1596) for her money. In autumn 1563, shortly after their only child had died, Anne joined Thomas in Antwerp. They probably sat to Mor soon afterwards, for Gresham was away from Antwerp throughout 1564. In Britain, Gresham is remembered as the founder of the Royal Exchange in London, a trading center for merchants modeled on the New Bourse in Antwerp. He also left money to found Gresham College, which still offers educational lecture programs today. Acquired by Catherine the Great of Russia, both portraits were restored there in 1872, when Fernely’s was transferred from panel to canvas, affecting its condition. In 1931, the Soviet Union sold them to the Rijksmuseum, to secure foreign currency.

— Karen Hearn, Honorary Professor, University College, London