Unknown man, formerly known as James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch
1 of 42 portraits of James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Unknown man, formerly known as James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch
by Unknown artist
oil on canvas, circa 1640s
22 1/4 in. x 26 1/4 in. (565 mm x 667 mm)
Purchased, 1910
Primary Collection
NPG 1566
Sitterback to top
- James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch (1649-1685), Son of Charles II and Lucy Walter. Sitter associated with 42 portraits.
This portraitback to top
This unusual portrait of a man on his deathbed was thought to depict James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II. He was beheaded for leading the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. However, the length of the hair and style of this portrait suggest a date in the 1640s. Therefore this portrait cannot represent Monmouth.
Deathbed portraiture had some popularity in the 1640s; it helped to secure the reputation of the deceased and provide a visual memory for the bereaved. The identity of the sitter is not known but one possibility is the nobleman Edward Sackville (c. 1623-1646), brother of the 5th Earl of Dorset. Sackville was killed fighting for the Royalists in the civil war. His marriage to Bridget Wray may explain the Wray family's subsequent ownership of this portrait. However, lack of further evidence means that this identification remains inconclusive.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Smartify image discovery app
- Cooper, Tarnya (introduction) Banville, John (character sketch) Chevalier, Tracy (character sketch) Fellowes, Julian (character sketch) McCall Smith, Alexander (character sketch) Pratchett, Terry (character sketch) Singleton, Sarah (character sketch) Trollope, Joanna (character sketch) Waters, Minette (character sketch), Imagined Lives: Portraits of Unknown People, 2011 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from December 2011 - June 2012), p. 77
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 692
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- Life, Death and Memory (17 April 2017 - 4 February 2018)
- Imagined Lives: Portraits of Unknown People (3 December 2011 - 8 July 2012)
Events of 1640back to top
Current affairs
Second Bishops' War. James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, leading the Scottish armies, occupies northeast of England. Defeat at the Battle of Newburn forces impoverished Charles to sign Treaty of Ripon.Long Parliament. Habeas Corpus Act is passed, abolishing the Star Chamber. Impeachment of Royalists, Earl of Strafford and Archbishop Laud.
Art and science
Author, James Howell, writes Dodona's Grove, a historical allegory of events since 1603. A renowned royalist, Howell's anti-parliamentary remarks in the book would later attract accusations from parliamentarians.The last Caroline masque before the outbreak of civil war, Salmacida Spolia by Sir William Davenant, is performed at Whitehall Palace.
International
Frederick William becomes Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia. The Elector's policy of religious tolerance benefited his state during the religious struggles dominating the Thirty Years' War.The Bay Psalm Book is published, the first book to be printed in British North America.
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.
Related pages
- Searching for Shakespeare
- Brilliant Women
- Popular Prints of Victoria and Albert
- Nelson: before and after Trafalgar
- Making History: Printed Portraiture in Tudor and Stuart Britain
- Gunpowder, Treason and Plot
- Chartist Portraits
- Silhouettes display, 2004-05
- William Hazlitt's Spirit of the Age
- Return to Life: A New Look at the Portrait Bust
- Restoration Lives: Samuel Pepys and His Circle
- Theodore de Mayerne
- Mary, Queen of Scots: Fact and Fiction
- Escape to Eden
- Mary, Queen of Scots
- Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Art Conservation Project
- Votes for women
- Rebel women
- 2019 Anniversaries
- Peterloo 1819: democracy, protest and justice
- Everyday icons: collecting popular portraits
- Tudor and Elizabethan matching pairs
- Love Stories
- Icons and Identities: Shakespeare to Winehouse
- Love stories: art, passion and tragedy
- Imagined Lives: portraits of unknown people