Is this the face of Richard de la Pole?

The picture above has been known for many years but it was long thought to be a portrait of an unknown French gentleman. However, when it came up for auction at Christies in 2013, The Times published an article claiming that the picture was of Richard de la Pole. The full article, which is dated 10th September 2013, is behind a paywall but the available introduction reads as follows:

Rebel found with the badge of Richard III

by Jack Malvern, Tuesday September 10 2013, The Times

Richard de la Pole once planned to invade Britain from France and topple Henry VIII…

It is a tiny detail, but a scholar has spotted a hat badge meaning that a portrait sold by Christie’s is not a French noble but an heir of Richard III. Richard de la Pole was once the favourite candidate to lead an invasion that would topple Henry VIII, but poor timing meant that he was thwarted even as he waited with 12,000 men on the shores of Brittany. The attack planned by de la Pole was such a damp squib that he was forgotten by all but the most assiduous historians, and no portrait of him from life appeared to have survived. However, the White Rose, as he was nicknamed, has recovered some of his dignity after Anthony Gross, a historian, found evidence to…

(Times subscribers can read the full article here: https://www.thetimes.com/article/rebel-found-with-the-badge-of-richard-iii-jdndfsclbtz)

Dr Gross is an Associate Fellow of the Institute of Historical Research in the University of London and the hat badge in question shows a mythical white deer, known in heraldry as a hart, that is 'couchant' i.e. lying down. A standing white hart was indeed used by the Yorkist kings Edward IV and V, who were Richard de la Pole’s uncle and cousin respectively, as a supporter for their coats of arms. That said, the white hart in these badges is always shown as ‘gorged with a coronet’ i.e. with a crown and a chain around its neck, whereas the portrait’s hat badge does not show a deer adorned in such a manner.

Moreover Richard de la Pole’s other royal uncle, Richard III, used a white boar as his personal motif, not a white stag as stated in the article. In fact the couchant, gorged and chained white hart is more usually associated with the much earlier Plantagenet king, Richard II rather than his namesake, Richard III.

As Richard II was deposed by the Lancastrian Henry Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV, it is thought that the Yorkist King Edward IV adopted Richard II’s badge to show that the legitimate line descended from Edward III had been restored. No doubt Edward IV's son, Edward V, used the same badge for the same reason during his own brief reign.

On the other hand, if the portrait is of Richard de la Pole, he may have adopted the white hart rather than the white boar in order to dissociate himself from a man whom some Yorkists thought was a usurper.

In other words by adopting a stag rather than a boar Richard de la Pole was also claiming he was part of the legitimate line of succession that had been broken by the Lancastrians when they deposed Richard II and broken again by Richard III when he replaced Edward V on the throne in somewhat questionable circumstances but, in either case, this is pure conjecture.

Interestingly, two French monarchs used a winged stag as their badges during the 14th and 15th Centuries. The first was Charles VI, whose daughter married Richard II, and the other was Charles VII who used three winged stags  to represent his three victories over the hated English in the Hundred Years War.

Again, if the portrait is of Richard de la Pole, then perhaps the deer badge refers to the fact that he spent much of his later life fighting for the French kings Louis XII and Francis I. Yet this too is by no means certain. Like the missing chain and crown, no wings are visible on the deer in the portrait’s hat badge. Moreover, Louis XII used the porcupine as his personal emblem whilst Francis I chose a salamander, so we are back where we started.

From a personal point of view I think it is highly likely that the picture sold by Christies is a portrait of the last Yorkist claimant to the English throne but until further evidence comes to light no one can ever be sure... watch this space!

Below Left: a white hart supporting the royal coat of arms, a device used by Edward IV and Edward V. The younger Edward also used the female version, white hind, as his supporter.

Below Right: the White Hart emblem of Richard II.

(both images from Wikimedia commons)