About this artwork

Lord Melville was a strong supporter of William of Orange, whose arrival in England in 1688 marked the end of the Stuart dynasty's rule of Britain. He was made Secretary of State for Scotland in 1689. Melville was one of the Scottish aristocrats who persauded Medina to settle in Edinburgh. Under the glamorous armour and wig, this is a sensitive portrait of an older man, with sunken cheeks and thin lips.

Updated before 2020

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Sir John Baptiste de Medina

Sir John Baptiste de Medina