Mary of Modena, 1658 - 1718. Consort of James VII and II
About this artwork
This glamorous portrait of Mary of Modena was painted one year before she gave birth to James Francis Edward Stuart, the future Jacobite claimant to the throne. A devout catholic, Mary had intended to enter a convent. However, in 1673, following the Pope’s encouragement that she should marry, she became the second wife of James, Duke of York, who acceded to the throne as James VII and II in 1685. Wissing has included a white cockatoo, an exotic pet owned by elite women, while her new role as Queen Consort is emphasised by the addition of a crown, which sits on a ledge to her right.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Willem Wissing (1656 - 1687) Dutch
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title:Mary of Modena, 1658 - 1718. Consort of James VII and II
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date created:1687
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materials:Oil on canvas
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measurements:125.10 x 101.00 cm; Framed: 233.70 x 124.00 x 6.50 cm / 22.00 kg
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1924
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accession number:PG 976
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gallery:
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depicted:
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subject:
Willem Wissing
Willem Wissing
Born in Amsterdam, Wissing was trained in The Hague and in Paris. He arrived in London in 1676, where he became assistant to Sir Peter Lely. After Lely's death in 1680, Wissing helped to finish off his uncompleted portraits. Wissing subsequently became a fashionable portrait painter and was taken...
