'The Apotheosis, or, Death of the King' ('The Beheading of King Charles I')

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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'The Apotheosis, or, Death of the King' ('The Beheading of King Charles I')

by Bernard Baron, published by John Bowles, after John Vanderbank
line engraving, 1728 (1727)
16 1/4 in. x 17 7/8 in. (413 mm x 454 mm) paper size
Given by the daughter of compiler William Fleming MD, Mary Elizabeth Stopford (née Fleming), 1931
Reference Collection
NPG D26389

Sitterback to top

  • King Charles I (1600-1649), Reigned 1625-49. Sitter associated with 335 portraits.

Artistsback to top

  • Bernard Baron (1696-1762), Engraver. Artist or producer associated with 36 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.
  • John Bowles (1701?-1779), Printseller and publisher. Artist or producer associated with 118 portraits.
  • John Vanderbank (1694-1739), Portrait painter. Artist or producer associated with 99 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.

This portraitback to top

The execution is relegated to the background while Britannia turns her head in shame and Charles I is borne aloft by angels. This print dates from a period of transition during which Saint Charles the Martyr was established in the Church of England but the events of his reign were increasingly viewed as history. It comes from a series of ten episodes charting Charles I's reign.

Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top

Portrait setback to top

Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1728back to top

Current affairs

George II's son Frederick, soon to be Prince of Wales, arrives in Britain for the first time, aged 21.
Satirist Jonathan Swift publishes A Short View on the State of Ireland which severely criticises British policy in Ireland.
Composer George Frideric Handel is appointed director of the King's Theatre, London.

Art and science

John Gay's The Beggar's Opera debuts at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, London.
First version of Alexander Pope's landmark literary satire The Dunciad is published.
Astronomer James Bradley uses stellar aberration to calculate the speed of light and observes the nutation of the Earth's axis.

International

British troops under Sir Charles Wager remain steadfast in Gibraltar and Spain ends its siege. Convention of Prado ends the one-year war between Britain and Spain.
Danish explorer Vitus Bering sails into Arctic seas through the strait between Asia and America now known by his name.

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