Mary, Queen of Scots
5 of 5 portraits by François Clouet
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Mary, Queen of Scots
by Adolphe Pierre Riffaut, after François Clouet
etching printed in colours, published 1848
16 in. x 11 3/8 in. (407 mm x 290 mm) plate size; 20 1/8 in. x 14 1/4 in. (512 mm x 362 mm) paper size
Purchased with help from the Friends of the National Libraries and the Pilgrim Trust, 1966
Reference Collection
NPG D13123
Sitterback to top
- Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587), Reigned 1542-67. Sitter associated with 151 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- François Clouet (before 1522-1572), Artist. Artist or producer associated with 5 portraits.
- Adolphe Pierre Riffaut (1821-1859), Printmaker. Artist or producer associated with 3 portraits.
This portraitback to top
At the age of five and a half Mary was sent to France as the fiancée of the heir to the French throne, François, Dauphin of France. Ten years later, in 1558, she and François were married, and at about that time the court artist Clouet made a portrait drawing of her, which this print reproduces remarkably faithfully. The drawing is now in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and is generally regarded as one of the earliest and finest portraits of Mary.
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- Mary, Queen of Scots: Fact and Fiction (24 August 2002 - 5 May 2003)
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1848back to top
Current affairs
Led by Feargus O'Connor, up to 50,000 Chartist members meet on Kennington Common, to form a procession and present another petition to Parliament. Although there was a large military and police presence, the rally was peaceful.Art and science
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood a group of English painters, poets and critics, is founded by John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt, intent on reforming art by rejecting the artists who imitated Raphael and Michelangelo. Instead, they advocated a return to a close observation of nature, invested with the intense detail, colours, and compositions of Quattrocento Italian and Flemish art, producing works layered with symbolism.International
Following the fall of the French monarchy, revolutions take place in France, Germany and Italy, provoked by a widespread desire for political independence from repressive regimes, and a range of economic problems which had caused unemployment, food shortages and poverty. Louis Napoleon becomes the first President of France's Second Republic.The first gold rush takes place in America, after gold is found on the Sacramento river, California.
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