3 OF 43

James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch

3 of 43 portraits of James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch

by Jan van Wyck
oil on canvas, circa 1675
31 1/8 in. x 40 7/8 in. (790 mm x 1038 mm)
Purchased, 1981
Primary Collection
NPG 5376

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Sitterback to top

James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch (1649-1685), Son of Charles II and Lucy Walter. Sitter associated with 43 portraits.

Artistback to top

Jan van Wyck (1652-1700), Painter. Artist associated with 8 portraits, Sitter associated with 3 portraits.

This portraitback to top

The eldest of Charles II's fourteen illegitimate children, Monmouth was the son of Lucy Walter. Charming, ambitious and unprincipled, he was put forward as a Protestant candidate for the throne in place of his uncle James, Duke of York, at the time of the 'Popish Plot' of 1678. At the accession of James II, he landed in England at the head of a Protestant army, but he was defeated at Sedgemoor, captured and executed. This portrait commemorates the Duke's role as the commander of the English auxiliary force against the Dutch in 1672-3. The scene in the background may be intended to depict the siege of Maastricht in 1673 in which he played a heroic part.