Details of ships and an outline of part of the French coast have been revealed during work on the oldest oil painting in the Jersey Heritage Trust’s collection.
The work is a portrait of Sir Anthony Paulet by Marcus Gheeraets and was painted in 1597.
Sir Paulet became Governor of Jersey in 1588 when the Island was under constant threat of invasion from France.
Heritage Trust head of business development Beth Lloyd said: ‘This portrait shows him as a soldier, dressed in armour and with his spurs polished, ready and able to fight and defend the Island.
The portrait is an excellent example of Tudor portraiture being a subtle blend of realism and idealism/flattery that, with additional clues from objects and gestures, give an insight into the personality and status of the sitter.’
