Thomas Howard (1585–1646), Second Earl of Arundel, after Rubens

Henry Bone's enamel portrait Thomas Howard, Second Earl of Arundel after Rubens, completed in 1808, reproduces one of the most celebrated portraits of England's greatest early collector. Thomas Howard (1585–1646), Earl of Arundel, was the preeminent collector and patron of his age in England, assembling ancient marbles, drawings by Holbein and Leonardo, and paintings by Rubens and others that established the standard for aristocratic collecting. Rubens himself painted Howard with evident respect, and the portrait became one of the canonical images of English Renaissance aristocracy. Bone's choice to reproduce this portrait in his signature enamel medium—working from the original or an engraving—was a deliberate statement of the original's cultural importance, placing it in a permanent medium fit for a legacy collection.

Bone's enamel reproduction of the Rubens portrait captures the original's imposing three-quarter pose and the earl's commanding presence. The fired enamel surface reproduces the tonal range of the oil original with remarkable fidelity, from the deep shadows of the fur-trimmed cloak to the warm luminosity of the face. The precision required to reproduce another artist's work in this demanding medium speaks to Bone's extraordinary technical mastery.