A full-length portrait to left in Garter robes and wearing a hat. He is shown standing against a background of rich silk drapes. In the Armada campaign of 1588 Howard commanded the ‘Golden Lion’ and particularly distinguished himself. In 1591 he commanded the annual expedition to the Azores to intercept the Spanish treasure fleet. It was on this occasion that there was the famous action in which the ‘Revenge’ was lost and Sir Richard Grenville killed, see BHC 2726. Howard went again in 1597 on the ‘Islands Voyage’. He afterwards went ashore and under James I became in turn Lord Chamberlain and Lord Treasurer, during which period this portrait was painted. Though attributed to Mytens it is, like much work by him, largely a studio production. It is is inscribed ' Anno Dom 1617' at top right and ‘Tho. Howard Earle of Suffolk, Lord Treasurer of Engd', bottom left. The difference in the way this is done suggests the dating is probably contemporary with the image and that the title at the bottom was added later. It was purchased for the Museum by Sir James Caird in 1932 from the collection of the Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire.