ELLIS WATERHOUSE, one of the most distinguished twentieth-century British art historians, was born a century ago, on 16th February 1905, and died on 7th September 1985. It seems a suitable moment to reconsider his character and his achievements – all the more so since, with the passage of time and developments in art history, both may gradually become lost to view. For such an essay THE BURLINGTON MAGAZINE is certainly the appropriate place. He was devoted to it as a regular contributor, on its board of advisers and directors and even, briefly, its unofficial editor.

OVER THE PAST few decades there has been some debate about the differences and relative merits of the two most important versions of Anthony van Dyck's portrait of Rachel de Ruvigny, Countess of Southampton. One is in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, the other in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. The hand of Van Dyck is acknowledged in both, but scholars have been divided about which is the primary version. The exhibition commemorating the four-hundredth anniversary of Van Dyck's birth enabled the Melbourne painting to return to England for the first time in over seventy-five years.

IN 1563, Queen Elizabeth I granted a number of crown estates to her favourite, Lord Robert Dudley (1532/33-88), whom she created Earl of Leicester the following year. Among these was Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire. Shortly after taking possession, the new earl embarked upon an ambitious programme of building and rebuilding designed to transform the castle from a defensive structure into a glittering stage on which he might entertain the queen during her annual summer progresses. These extensive building works, which reputedly cost £60,000, were not completed until 1575, the year of the famous Kenilworth festivities.