John Carey on John Donne, National Portrait Gallery

Emerging from the gloom with delicate fingers exposed, the 1595 portrait of poet John Donne in the National Portrait Gallery's collection is both enigmatic and edifying. This remarkable image is one of the earliest surviving examples of an Elizabethan author portrait. Yet there was more to Donne than refined posing. For who else could have written some of the most erotic and enduring lines in verse, such as this red-blooded plea from ‘ To His Mistress Going To Bed ’ -

Licence my roving hands, and let them go

Behind, before, above, between, below.

Oh my America! my new-found-land ...

Donne was among the most talented metaphysical poets of the late sixteenth/early seventeenth century and his celebrated love poems, which can be both bawdy and deeply romantic, remain widely read. This unique lecture offers a chance to become re-acquainted with Donne in the hands of  British literary critic  Professor John Carey who will guide you through the life and times of this most poetic of bards, with particular focus on the sensual poetry and personality of Donne in relation to the portrait. 

Elizabeth 1 & Her People exhibition is dedicated to the illustrious reign of Elizabeth 1 from 1558 to 1603. For anyone who fancies a dash of red-blooded verse with their fine art, we suggest you book your tickets now and let Donne’s words weave their magic.

Tickets: £6 (£5 concessions) 

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Nearest tube: Charing Cross, Leicester Square