About this artwork
There has been much argument as to whether the man in this wood engraving is John Knox. However, it has repeatedly been used as a model for later statues and history paintings. Knox began his career as a Roman Catholic priest, but after encountering the Protestant preacher, George Wishart, he became an convert to the reformed religion. By the time Mary, Queen of Scots, returned to Scotland in 1561, he was a minister of St Giles in Edinburgh and he went on to have several famous confrontations with her. The celebration of Mass in Holyrood Chapel for Mary and her Catholic courtiers particularly angered him.
Updated before 2020
see media-
artist:
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title:John Knox, 1505 - 1572. Reformer and historian
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date created:1580
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after:
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materials:Wood engraving on paper
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measurements:15.24 x 11.43 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Bequeathed by W. F. Watson in 1886
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accession number:PGE 27
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gallery:
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depicted:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
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