Mary, Queen of Scots

Art Historical Context

This delicate graphite and wash captures Mary, Queen of Scots in a compact format measuring just over six by five inches. Created in the seventeenth century, the work belongs to the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Drawings and Prints and entered the collection in 1949 through the Elisha Whittelsey Fund. The choice of graphite combined with wash allowed the artist to achieve both precise line work and soft tonal modeling, a technique well suited to intimate portraiture intended for private contemplation or study. Though the sheet is modest in scale, it reflects the enduring fascination wit...