Art Collections Online

These panels were intended to hang above a tomb, as a visible expression of lineage and an indication of the solidity and permanence of the family. A tradition that they were painted by the Bird family of painters is unsubstantiated. The contrast between the elaborate layout, arms and inscriptions on the panels and their crude standard of execution suggests that they were the work of a heraldic painter, rather than a portraitist.

The panel depicts Edward Stradlinge (d. 1535), the only surviving son of Thomas, and his wife Elizabeth (d. 1513) who are identified by the inscription at the bottom. The sitters are shown with their deceased children behind them and their family arms above. Elizabeth Stradlinge's are those of her father Sir Thomas Arundell of Lanherne in Cornwall. Her husband is shown in armour, possibly a reference to his presence at the Battle of Tournai in 1513 after which he was made a Knight of the Bath by Henry VIII.