Gerlach Flicke; Henry Strangwish (Strangways)
- Artist: Gerlach Flicke
- Date: 1554
- Medium: diptych
- Dimensions: 3 1/2 in. x 4 3/4 in. (88 mm x 119 mm)
- Portrays: Gerlach Flicke, Henry Strangwish (Strangways)
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
Before you is a tiny diptych from 1554. On the left side we see Gerlach Flicke, bearded and thoughtful, holding his paint palette—his tool for mixing the very pigments shown in his hands. The palette’s colors hint at what he might have offered to a friend later on. On the right side is Henry Strangwish, a gentleman pirate, holding a lute with an attentive hand.
Both men are dressed in the sober attire of their time, each frame showing a subtle use of oil that gives depth to skin and cloth alike. Above each head the artist carved an inscription: in Latin for Flicke it reads, “Such was the face…painted from a looking‑glass for my friends,” while English text above Strangwish notes him as “a prisoner.” The two inscriptions link the scene.
Flicke made this small portrait while both men were locked up—likely in the Tower of London. It is the earliest known oil self‑portrait produced in England, and a rare window into life on the outside walls of 16th‑century London.
See it in person
Gerlach Flicke; Henry Strangwish (Strangways) is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
