Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Bt; Mary of Modena; Prince James Francis Edward Stuart
1 portrait of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart
Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Bt; Mary of Modena; Prince James Francis Edward Stuart
attributed to Pieter Schenck
mezzotint, 1688 or after
9 7/8 in. x 7 1/8 in. (250 mm x 182 mm) plate size; 10 1/2 in. x 7 5/8 in. (266 mm x 195 mm) paper size
Purchased with help from the Friends of the National Libraries and the Pilgrim Trust, 1966
Reference Collection
NPG D10694
On display in Room 7 on Floor 3 at the National Portrait Gallery
Sittersback to top
- Prince James Francis Edward Stuart (1688-1766), Known as 'The Old Pretender'; son of James II. Sitter associated with 62 portraits. Identify
- Mary of Modena (1658-1718), Queen of James II. Sitter associated with 57 portraits. Identify
- Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Bt (before 1634-1699), Jesuit and courtier. Sitter in 3 portraits. Identify
Artistback to top
- Pieter Schenck (1660-1711), Engraver and publisher. Artist or producer associated with 50 portraits.
This portraitback to top
The Catholic king James II was overthrown in 1688 when the birth of a male heir led parliament to invite his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange to invade from Holland. This satirical print was produced as part of a propaganda campaign to cast doubts over the new prince's legitimacy. It parodies official prints of the mother and child by implying that the infant's real father is the Jesuit priest Edward Petre. A parallel accusation that the baby was born to a miller's wife and smuggled into the queen's bedchamber in a warming pan is referenced by the toy windmill in the cradle. These rumours successfully undermined James II's authority and helped pave the way for the revolution.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Cannadine, Sir David (Introduction); Cooper, Tarnya; Stewart, Louise; MacGibbon, Rab; Cox, Paul; Peltz, Lucy; Moorhouse, Paul; Broadley, Rosie; Jascot-Gill, Sabina, Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits, 2018 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA, 7 October 2018 -3 February 2019. Bendigo Art Gallery, Australia, 16 March - 14 July 2019.), p. 142
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- Plots, Intrigue and Murder from 1580 - 1700 (25 May 2013 - 8 December 2013)
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1688back to top
Current affairs
The Glorious Revolution. Senior statesmen, increasingly resentful of James's assault upon liberties of his subjects, invite William III of Orange to invade England. Their action is spurred on by the acquittal of seven bishops who refused to read James II's declaration of indulgence from their pulpits. James flees into exile.Art and science
George Savile, Marquess of Halifax, publishes his political tract, The Character of a Trimmer, written 1685, which urged Charles II to shake off his brother's influence.Writer, Aphra Behn, publishes Oroonoko, often considered to be an abolitionist treatise.
International
Nine Years' War. Threatened by William III's invasion of England and possible alliance of Protestant European states under his helm, Louis XIV sends French troops into the Rhineland. This pre-emptive strike ignites a war of attrition, and institutes a coalition of European states united in attempting to halt expansionist France.Comments back to top
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