The Spymaster and the Virgin Mary.

OK the title sounds like a John Le Carre novel, but a bit of detective work from the National Portrait Gallery has revealed that underneath this famous portrait of Sir Francis Walsingham (right) was an overtly Roman Catholic image of the holy Virgin and Child (below). This article from The Guardian suggests that “he would not have been delighted,” with Dr Cooper speculating that  “you do wonder if the artist might be enjoying a private joke.”

Perhaps, or perhaps this was a secret Catholic’s put down to the most hard line of Elizabeth’s Protestant ministers. The article continues “Walsingham, Elizabeth’s secretary of state from 1573 until his death in 1590, was for a long time portrayed as something of a historical villain but, like Henry VIII’s enforcer, Thomas Cromwell, he has had a somewhat rehabilitated reputation. Yes he was ruthless, yes plotters – real and imagined – were tortured and executed; but England was at war and there were assassins who wanted to kill the Queen. Add to that how impossible the Queen was to work for and he could be said to have done a very good job.”


One final point The National Portrait Gallery off Trafalgar Square is amazing – and the Tudor galleries are a really first class enrichment opportunity for our course. It is free to get in, and just around the corner from Mr Woo’s (all you can eat Chinese restaurant for £6.00). There are worse ways to spend an afternoon.

Mr Kydd.