National Portrait Gallery probes 1626 portrait featuring early full-length black figure

A rare 400-year-old portrait is prompting a fresh search for identity at the National Portrait Gallery, which has launched a project to uncover who the two teenage boys depicted in the 1626 painting are. One boy is of African heritage, and researchers say the work may be among the earliest known full-length depictions of a black individual in British portraiture.

The painting has been at Penshurst Place in Kent, a former hunting lodge of Henry VIII, since at least 1743 and will go on public display in London from September for 18 months, until March 2028. Charlotte Bolland, the gallery’s senior curator for research, said the investigation will draw on a range of expertise to The artist is unknown.

Michael Ohajuru, a senior fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, described the painting as exceptional for its time because it shows a black figure at the equivalent size to white counterparts. He said its rarity gives it international significance and that the research will have an impact on understanding the black presence in Europe in that period and later.

While the original is being restored and analysed, a life-sized replica is on view at Penshurst Place as part of a new exhibition titled “Who Are the Two Boys?”. Philip Sidney, heir to Penshurst Place, said records suggest the painting has been at the estate since 1743.

It has been on public display since 1947, he added, but only recently has it prompted a surge of questions. There is no known connection to the house, and the subjects’ identities remain unknown, leaving the family to speculate about any link. After its London run, the portrait will return to Kent.

Researchers say the findings could inform wider histories of representation and presence across early modern Europe.