King James II

This portraitback to top

The costume offers anomalies characteristic of the time: à la romaine and laureate, he wears a long wig, the collar and medal of the Garter, and the badge is applied to his Roman tunic. The two fillets round his neck display the rose, fleur-de-lys and thistle (for England, France and Scotland), indicating a portrait of James as King, 1685-88.
NPG 5869 is more spirited than the bust of James at Edinburgh (or the near-contemporary terracotta of Charles II attributed to John Bushnell now in the Fitzwilliam Museum), and the possibility of it being the work of a Flemish modeller is strong.

Referenceback to top

Simon & Saywell (eds.) 2004
Complete Illustrated Catalogue, NPG, ed. J. Simon & D. Saywell, 2004, p 332.

Provenanceback to top

‘Property of a Lady’, sold Christie’s, 24 April 1986, lot 64 as late 17th- or 18th-century Flemish, bought Leggatt for the NPG.


This extended catalogue entry is from the National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Later Stuart Portraits 1685-1714, National Portrait Gallery, 2009, 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 King James II