A head and shoulders portrait of Richard III, on a red background with gold embellishment in the upper corners. His face is turned slightly to the right, with a serious expression; at the bottom of the frame, his hands are shown in the middle of removing a ring from his right little finger. The heights of his shoulders are visibly uneven. He wears a black robe, possibly fur-lined, over a gold patterned doublet with a flash of red at the collar. A chain of office hangs across his chest. His black hat bears a gold, ruby, and pearl brooch in the shape of a stylised rose.

Richard III

Anonymous British or Flemish painter

1504-20

Oil on panel

56.5 x 35.6 cm

RCIN 403436

Image credit: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021

This painting, one of a group of royal portraits which have been in the Royal Collection since at least 1542, has become the standard image of Richard III.

It was produced long after Richard's death, presumably from an earlier drawing which has not survived. It was intended as a pattern for other artists to follow.

Technical analysis shows that it has been altered, probably in the reign of Henry VIII, and that these alterations were copied in subsequent versions of the painting - including the most famous one, in London's National Portrait Gallery.

These alterations helped to seal the image of Richard III presented by the Tudor historian Sir Thomas More - 'malicious, wrathful, envious, and from afore his birth ever forward' - and represent the solidification of 'Shakespeare's Richard III' in both the royal and popular imagination.

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