Sir James Langham (c.1621–1699) 2nd Bt, FRS, MP (detail)

Painted in 1650 and now at Dunham Massey Hall in Cheshire, this portrait of Sir James Langham (c.1621–1699), 2nd Baronet, FRS, MP, was produced at a politically charged moment: 1650 was one year after Charles I's execution, and England was governed by the Rump Parliament. Langham was a Parliamentarian — his father Sir John Langham had been a prominent London merchant and Parliamentary supporter — making this a portrait of someone on the opposite side of the Civil War from Honthorst's usual courtly clients. The Fellow of the Royal Society connection places Langham within the emerging scientific culture of the mid-seventeenth century. Dunham Massey, a National Trust property in Cheshire, holds an important collection of family portraits including this work. The description notes it is a 'detail', suggesting it may be a cropped version of a larger original.

Oil on canvas. The portrait, being described as a detail, may represent a fragment or partial view of a larger composition. What survives demonstrates Honthorst's assured handling of flesh tones and dark clothing. The 1650 date places it in the very late period of Honthorst's career, as he died in 1656.