Seen here in his robes of the Order of the Thistle, Melfort had been described as 'one of the handsomest men of his time, an accomplished dancer and of an active, undertaking temper'. Like King James VII, Melfort and his brother, James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth converted to Catholicism and they virtually ruled Scotland on James's behalf. When James went into exile the brothers followed him and in 1695 Melfort was stripped of his titles and land, by William of Orange.
Sir Godfrey Kneller (German, 1646 - 1723)
Kneller was a German artist who trained in Amsterdam under Ferdinand Bol and Rembrandt. He came to London in 1674 and became the leading portrait painter in England during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century. The output from his studio was enormous and included effectively everyone of importance from the reign of Charles II to George I. Kneller popularised the Kit-Cat format for portraits (36 x 28 inches), named after his portraits of the members of the famous Whig dining club. The founding governor of the first academy of art in England, his position as court and society painter was unrivalled. Kneller was Principal Painter from 1689, and in 1715 was created a baronet, a rank that was not surpassed by any artist for over a century.
