Engraving of William Parr by Bartolozzi After Holbein

William Parr was the only brother of Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII. After her marriage to the king, William Parr was created Earl of Essex. As a Protestant he was in favour with Henry VIII's son, Edward VI, who called him his "honest uncle" and he was made Marquis of Northampton and was Lord Chamberlain from 1550-53. However after Edward's death, he supported Lady Jane Grey which got him into serious trouble with Mary I. He was sentenced to death but was pardoned a few months later. Under Elizabeth he was re-created Marquis of Northampton. A typically precarious career in Tudor England! Bartolozzi (1727-1815) was a prolific engraver of all sorts of subjects, but this is part of a series of engravings of Holbein portraits which he did for King George III, and is dated 1796. He was appointed Engraver to the King at a salary of £300pa - a substantial sum at the time. He was also a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768.