Prince James Francis Edward Stuart

This portraitback to top

Attributed, on acquisition, to Anton Raphael Mengs. As a type, NPG 433 relates to the portrait by Benedetto Luti, at one time ascribed to Mengs, examples of which are at Gosford House (707), in the Scottish NPG (305) and, whole length, at Alloa House, in the collection of the Earl of Mar and Kellie. The last, in which the sitter is aged 57, is inscribed Giacomo III RE DELLA GRAN BRETANIA DETTO IL PRETENDENTE D'ANNI. 57. CMS: F 1745; it is also indistinctly signed AR(?). NPG 433 is perhaps a copy or adaptation by Duprà of one of his own earlier portraits known to have been painted in the 1740s after the Gosford House design by Luti. [1]

Footnotesback to top

1) A. M. Clark, Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, verbal.

Physical descriptionback to top

Dark brown eyes, light brown eyebrows, pale complexion with slight flush on cheeks and eyelids, dark brownish-grey wig with looped end; mole-coloured coat trimmed with gold lace, blue Garter ribbon, medallion of the Thistle hanging from green ribbon; crown on table, left; dark grey-brown background.

Conservationback to top

Slight damage to coat below Garter star; polished, 1876; surface cleaned and varnished, 1895.

Provenanceback to top

Bought, 1876 from Alexander Fletcher of Nottingham Place, Regent's Park, together with Charles Edward Stuart (NPG 434) and Henry Benedict, Cardinal York (NPG 435), all attributed to Mengs; said by Fletcher to have been bought by him from Cardinal York's secretary, Count Malatesta, to whom they had been bequeathed by the Cardinal.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Kerslake, Early Georgian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1977, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.

View all known portraits for Prince James Francis Edward Stuart