A portrait of a woman whose father was governor of the Bermudas Company is expected to be sold for as much as $700,000 at auction later this month.

Christie's, in New York, is including the 17th century portrait of Anne Cavendish, later Lady Rich, in its Important Old Master Paintings and Sculpture Auction due to take place in Rockefeller Plaza on January 28.

The painting was done by Anthony Van Dyck, a Flemish Baroque artist and the leading painter of the English courts, most famous for his portraits of King Charles I, and the auction house estimates its value in the range of $500,000 to $700,000.

His portrait of Anne Cavendish was painted in 1637, during his second stay in England, and just a year before her death and four years before his own. The painting has an illustrious history of ownership, as seen in the details of provenance provided by Christie's, having been owned by among others, Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1721 to 1742.

Although Anne Cavendish may herself never have visited Bermuda, strong connections to the island can be found in both her family tree and in that of her husband, Robert Lord Rich.

Anne was born in 1611, daughter of Sir William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire (1590 to1628), and her grandfather, also Sir William Cavendish, was the 1st Earl of Devonshire one of the grantees of Bermuda and an original member of the "Company of the City of London for the plantation of the Somers Islands".

Devonshire Tribe and Cavendish Fort were named for him and the Earl of Devonshire is said to have owned 245 acres of land in Bermuda by 1663.

Her father, the 2nd Earl, continued in the family business and was governor of the Bermudas Company. In 1632, Anne married Robert Lord Rich, the 3rd Earl of Warwick, who also had strong ties to Bermuda.

His father, the 2nd Earl of Warwick, was a manager of the Bermudas Company. Warwick Parish was named for him, its crest taken from his own, and it is said that Warwick Academy was built on land donated by the Earl in mid 17th century.

Anne died in 1638, at the age of 27, mourned in a poem by Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham: "That horrid word, at once, like lightning spread, struck all our ears the Lady Rich is dead! Heart-rending news! And dreadful to those few who her resemble, and her steps pursue."

Further information about the portrait and auction can be found on the Christie's website: www.christies.com.