File:Richard Drake George Gower 1577.jpg

Summary

Artist: George Gower

1577 portrait of Richard Drake (1535-1603), aetatis suae 42 ("aged 42"). The heraldic escutcheon shows 7 quarters as follows:

• 1: Argent, a wyvern wings displayed and tail nowed gules (Drake of Ash in the parish of Musbury, Devon)
• 2: Argent, on a chief gules three cinquefoils of the first (Billet of Ash; Pole, p.470, gives these arms as Billet of Bozuns Hele and another for Billet of Ash. Christiana Billet was the daughter and heiress of Alice Hampton of Ash and was the wife of John Drake, the first of the Drakes of Ash (Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitation of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.292))
• 3: Gules, on a fesse argent two mullets sable (Hamton of Rockbere and Ash (Pole, p.486))
• 4: Ermine, on a chief indented sable three crosslets fitchee or (Orwey of Orwey and Ash (Pole, Sir William (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p.495). John I de Orwey, of Orwey in the parish of Kentisbeare, Devon, whose wife was Juliana de Esse, heiress of Ash, having been given it by Henry de Esse/Ash (Pole, p.122))
• 5: Barry of seven argent and sable
• 6: Azure, six lioncels rampant argent crowned gules, 3, 2, 1 (Forde of Forde (Pole, p.483); Alexander de la Forde married the daughter and heiress of Henry Esse/Ash of Ash (Vivian, p.292))
• 7: Argent, two chevrons sable (Esse/Ash of Ash)

Copyright status:

public domain

Source:

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mnuExplore/PaintingDetail.cfm?lettera=g&ID=BHC2663&name=George%20Gower&action=ArtistTitle