The sitter has been identified in the past as Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, whose father, Robert Devereux, the 2nd Earl, was executed in 1601, following a rebellion against Elizabeth I. It is also possible that the sitter is a member of the Townshend family, possibly even Sir Roger Townshend (c.1596–1637), who would have been about twelve when this portrait was made. There are aspects of the handling of the flesh that are reminiscent of the work of Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger but the painting of the costume is not of the quality that his documented paintings show. This picture looks as though it may have been cut down from a larger format and there is what appears to be discoloured retouching to the left of the sitter’s head which may be covering an inscription.