James II is one of the most fascinating monarchs in British history. Technically James II/VII, he was the last English/British monarch to be deposed. (The Glorious Revolution was not glorious for James…) He doesn’t tend to pop up a lot- you don’t see statues of him in every second city and town like you do Victoria. (I will share my thoughts on the Stuarts being forced in the shadows for another day.) However, before he was James II, he was the Duke of York. And I was incredibly excited to see this Duke of York portrait at Greenwich for several reasons!
The Artist
This portrait of the Duke of York was painted in 1672-1673 by the French artist Henri Gascar. Historians think that Gascar came to England at the request of Charles II’s French mistress, Louise de Keroualle. He was incredibly popular while he was in England, from roughly 1673 to 1679, and made himself a small fortune. However, he sensed that anti-Catholic sentiment was only growing, and left to go back to Paris.
The Portrait Itself
What you will notice in pretty much all of Gascar’s portraits are the textiles- clothings and fabrics look particularly sumptuous. In this Baroque portrait of James, he is dressed as the Roman god of war, Mars. His sweeping red cloak dominates the portrait. And you will also notice the Navy ships in the background of the portrait. From 1660 to 1673, James was the Lord High Admiral for the Royal Navy, but was removed once the Test Act passed (as he was a Catholic). It is unfortunate, as James was well-suited for the position- he was actually the last member of the British Royal Family to personally command a fleet in action. In any case, it is a stunning painting, and a fantastic example of the British Baroque period.
Have you seen the Duke of York portrait at Greenwich?
Cheers,
The Historian
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