The Aporia
The Aporia
Fabbro, L. D. (2026, September 17). Gallery unveils one of the earliest paintings of black individual in English art. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/national-portrait-gallery-english-charles-i-african-london-b1297343.html
Fabbro, Lauren Del. “Gallery unveils one of the earliest paintings of black individual in English art.” Evening Standard, 17 Sept. 2026, https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/national-portrait-gallery-english-charles-i-african-london-b1297343.html.
Fabbro, Lauren Del. “Gallery unveils one of the earliest paintings of black individual in English art.” Evening Standard, September 17, 2026. https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/national-portrait-gallery-english-charles-i-african-london-b1297343.html.
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The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) unveiled one of the earliest paintings featuring a black individual in English art, dating back to around 400 years ago. The full-length portrait, which includes two boys whose identities are largely unknown, has been at Penshurst Place in Kent since at least 1743 and is owned by Philip Sidney, 2nd Viscount De L’Isle. Despite having no known connections to Penshurst Place during the 17th century, the NPG theorizes that the sitters could have ties to the Sidney family through Sir Thomas Smythe or Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick, who were involved in the Virginia Company, an entity instrumental in colonizing North America's eastern coast. With support from the Idlewild Trust and Historic Houses, the gallery has been conducting technical analysis and conservation work on the painting at its own studio to uncover more details about its historical context. The piece will remain on loan to the NPG until March 2028.
