Thomas Ken was born in Berkhamsted in 1637. He was a Scholar of Winchester College, 1651-2; Fellow of New College, Oxford, 1656-66; Fellow of Winchester College, 1666-84; Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1685-91. Deprived of his See as a non-juror in 1691. Died at Longleat in 1711.

This is one of two full-length portraits of Ken, both signed F. Scheffer and dated 1711, the other being at the Bishop’s Palace, Wells. One is perhaps a studio replica of the other, but there is no clear basis for establishing priority between the two versions.

Literature:  Winchester Archaeological Society, Winchester College: its history, buildings and customs (Winchester, 1926), p. 159; John L. Anderdon, The Life of Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 2 vols (London, 1854), i, p. 333n; John Ingamells, The English Episcopal Portrait 1559-1835: a Catalogue (London, 1981), p. 254 (no. D1), pl. 157; William Marshall, ‘Ken, Thomas (1637-1711)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2004)

Provenance: Bequeathed by Dr Thomas Cheyney (Dean of Winchester, 1748-1760). Included in the College Inventory of 1773

Location: College Hall