Unknown,Francois Clouet
Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542 - 1587. Reigned 1542 - 1567 (In white mourning)
1561This portrait shows Mary Stuart aged about eighteen years old wearing the traditional, white mourning clothing of the French court. She stares out of the painting with a maturity that belies her age. Not only had she just lost her husband but her father-in-law and her mother, Mary of Guise, had also died.
Mary Stuart inherited Scotland's throne as a baby after the death of her father, King James V. For her own safety, and to strengthen the ties between Scotland and France, Mary was sent to live with her mother's family in France when she was just five years old. She grew up at the French court as the future bride and queen of François II. Mary and François were married in 1558, but within two years the sickly fifteen-year-old François died.
- Glossary (2 terms)
- Open
Draughtsmanship
The ability to draw skilfully, often refers to technical drawing.
Renaissance
A period in European culture from the 14th to the 16th centuries in which the visual arts flourished with advances in the treatment of anatomy and the use of perspective. It is particularly associated with Italy, where it began, though the term applies elsewhere. It is noted for a revival of interest in the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome.
- Credits Purchased 1887
- Medium Oil on panel
- Size 32.90 x 27.40 cm (framed: 58.20 x 52.00 x 6.00 cm)
