Mary, Queen of Scots
mid-18th century
Medium
Hand-colored etching and engraving
Dimensions
Plate: 3 7/8 × 3 7/8 in. (9.9 × 9.8 cm) Sheet: 4 7/8 × 6 7/16 in. (12.4 × 16.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Susan Dwight Bliss, 1958
Accession Number
58.549.371
Tags
Art Historical Context
This mid-18th-century hand-colored etching and engraving presents a compelling portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, the 16th-century monarch whose dramatic life continues to captivate audiences centuries later. Created by Scottish engraver Robert Strange, the small-scale print captures the queen in a dignified pose that reflects both her royal status and the romanticized view of her that emerged long after her execution in 1587. Strange, known for his precise reproductive engravings of historical figures, helped keep Mary’s image alive during a period of renewed interest in British royal history....