Caption:
Portrait of Robert Devereux, Second Earl of Essex, 1599, Studio of Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Flemish, 1561/62 - 1636, 19 1/2 x 15 1/2 in. (49.53 x 39.37 cm) (panel), Oil on panel, England, 16th century, The Earl of Essex was an English nobleman and a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599. In 1601, he led a failed coup d'etat against the government and was executed for treason.