Portrait of George Clifford (c1590). Watercolor, gouache, gold, silver on vellum on panel. 26 x 18. Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, 13th Baron de Clifford was an English peer, naval commander, and courtier of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He ismost famously represented in art through a striking portrait by Nicholas Hilliard, which portrays him in his role as a celebrated Elizabethan naval commander. In this miniature, Clifford is shown wearing elaborate armor and adorned with symbols of knighthood and chivalry, including a richly decorated doublet, ruffled collar, and the Queen's favor in the form of a jeweled glove pinned to his helmet. This depiction emphasizes his status, martial prowess, and close connection to Queen Elizabeth I, reflecting the pageantry and ideals of knighthood during the Elizabethan era. He was notable at court for his jousting, at the Accession Day Tilts, which were highlights of the year at court. Two famous survivals, his portrait miniature by Nicholas Hilliard and a garniture of Greenwich armour, reflect this important part of his life. In contrast, he neglected his estates in the far north of England, and left a long succession dispute between his heirs. George Clifford was born on 8 August 1558 at Brougham Castle in Westmorland, the son and heir of Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland by his second wife, Anne Dacre, daughter of William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre. The Barons de Clifford, a junior branch of the Clifford feudal barons of Clifford of Clifford Castle in Herefordshire, had established themselves in the late 13th century at Appleby Castle in Westmorland, in the north of England. George succeeded as Earl of Cumberland and Baron de Clifford when his father died in 1570, leaving George a minor, aged 12. His valuable wardship and marriage was granted by Queen Elizabeth I to Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, KG, who in 1577, married George off to his daughter Lady Margaret Russell. The marriage had been arranged in their infancy by their respective fathers, which later did not prove to be a happy one. Life at court meant that George spent an increasing amount of time in southern England, away from his family's estates. As a result, Brougham Castle, one of his properties in the north, was neglected and abandoned. Although in 1589, he built the original Londesborough Hall, an Elizabethan country house located in East Riding of Yorkshire. George's fellow courtier commented on his northern upbringing, writing to the steward of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, that he disliked Clifford as the rudest Earll by reson of his northerly bringen up. George Clifford was described as a man of great personal beauty, strong and active, accomplished in all knightly exercises, splendid in his dress, and of romantic valour. On the other hand, he was a gambler and a spendthrift, a faithless husband, and later, for several years before his death, was separated from his wife.