Oil on canvas, 124.5cm by 99cm.
Lady Elizabeth Cecil (1619-1689), a daughter of William, 2nd Earl of Salisbury (1591-1668), was the wife of William, 3rd Earl of Devonshire (1617-1684).
She was the mother of Anne, wife of John, 5th Earl of Exeter (1648-1700), to whom, on her death, she bequeathed the entire contents of her private suite of rooms at Chatsworth, including this portrait.
The bequest represented a magnificent inheritance; the inventory recording it referred to as the 1690 Devonshire Schedule or the Deed of Gift.
