John Harris (1588-1658) was born in Hardwick, Buckinghamshire. He was a Scholar of Winchester College, 1599-1606; Fellow of New College, 1606-22, and Warden of Winchester College, 1630-58. At his own expense, Harris built College Sick House (Bethesda) in 1656. He died in 1658 and was buried in College Chapel.

This portrait is listed in the 1734 inventory of the Warden’s Gallery. It may have been among the portraits of past wardens bequeathed by Warden Nicholas in 1707.

Poole describes a portrait of Harris at New College as a copy of the present picture, but they are so dissimilar as to suggest that one of the sitters has been misidentified.

Literature: R.E. Poole, Catalogue of Portraits in the Possession of the University, Colleges, City and County of Oxford, 3 vols (Oxford, 1935), II, p. 156; R. Custance (ed.), Winchester College, sixth-centenary essays (Oxford, 1982), plate 27; C. S. Knighton, ‘Harris, John (1587/8–1658), college head’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2004)

Provenance: Unknown, by 1734

Location: Warden’s Lodgings