Image: BLW Portrait of Mary Queen of Scots

Description: Portrait of Mary Queen of Scots About 1559 Oil on oak panel Painted in France by a follower of Francois Clouet (born, possibly in Tours, France, about 1516, died in Paris, 1572. Oil painted portraits of royalty were frequently made. There are various versions of this particular picture, as is often the case where favoured courtiers, or those seeking to win royal favour, would commission or be given images of the Sovereign. Possession of an expensive royal icon was a direct way to signify loyalty and devotion. François Clouet was court painter to four Kings of France in succession and this is a close and almost contemporary copy of his drawing now in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. Mary, Queen of Scots had married the Dauphin, son of François I, King of France, in 1558. His own reign was to be short-lived, as François II died in 1560. In a related miniature, probably by Clouet himself, now in the Royal Collection, Mary is shown wearing a wedding ring. The Queen is not shown in mourning, but richly dressed in the height of fashion, her bodice embroidered with pearls. This painting depicts her as she appeared before François II died and her subsequent return to Scotland. Bequeathed by John Jones
Title: BLW Portrait of Mary Queen of Scots
Credit: Originally uploaded at http://www.britainloveswikipedia.org/
Author: art_traveller
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 uk
License: CC BY-SA 2.0 uk
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/uk/deed.en
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