Lot 79: Follower of John Greenhill (Salisbury 1640-1676 London) Portrait of James Vernon (1646-1727),

Portrait of James Vernon (1646-1727), half-length, in a crimson velvet coat and a white chemise before an open landscape, within a painted oval
oil on canvas
94 x 80cm (37 x 31 1/2in).

In 1673 James Vernon was appointed as private secretary to King Charles II's eldest illegitimate son James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, only leaving his service in 1684 when the Duke went into exile for a second time. He went on to serve as private secretary to the Earl of Shrewsbury, Secretary of State for the South and later as Secretary of State himself.