Cardinal Reginald Pole, Archbishop of Canterbury

Nicolas de Larmessin IV after Sebastiano del Piombo

National Gallery of Art

The image is a portrait of Reginaldus Pollus, showing him from the waist up. He is seated in a three-quarters position facing slightly to the right. He has a long, flowing beard and a solemn expression, with his hair hidden under his cardinal's galero. Reginaldus is dressed in rich ecclesiastical garments that drape in heavy folds around his shoulders, adorned with buttons down the front. His left hand rests on his knee, partially covered by his robe. Behind him, there is part of a wooden chair with a spherical finial on the top of the post. In the background, there is a textured pattern.