Godfrey Goodman of Ruthin (1583-1656)
Media: oil on panel
Size: 52.8 x 41.0 cm
Acquired: 1930; Bequest; The Hon. Mrs Lawrence Brodrick
Accession Number: NMW A 3452
This is probably a portrait of Godfrey, the second son of Gawen Goodman of Ruthin. The inscription dates the painting to 1600 when the sitter was forty. Godfrey attended TrinityCollege, Cambridge and was ordained a priest in the diocese of Brecon in 1587. He is shown wearing a ruff and holding a dogrose, a family symbol. At the top left are the Goodman Arms and a crest of a double-headed eagle. For many years the sitter was incorrectly identified as a different Godfrey Goodman, the third son of Edward Goodman and Father of Godfrey Goodman, Bishop of Gloucester.