Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 17th Century.
JAMES SCOTT, 1st and last Duke of Monmouth, was born on 9 March 1649 at Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The eldest of Charles II's fourteen illegitimate children, Monmouth was the son of Lucy Walter.
He married Anne Scott, Countess of Buccleuch, daughter of Francis Scott, 2nd Earl of Buccleuch and Lady Margaret Leslie, on 20 April 1663 at Earl of Wemyss' house, London, England.
Charming and ambitious, he was put forward as a Protestant candidate for the throne at the time of the 'Popish Plot' in 1678. On his father's death in 1685 he led the 'Monmouth Rebellion', an attempt to take the throne from his uncle, James II. He landed in England with a small Protestant army and issued a declaration in which he accused James of poisoning the late king, usurping the throne and ruling against the law. He was defeated at Sedgemoor and was captured in the New Forest a few days later, and executed in the Tower of London on July 15 1685.
SIR PETER LELY (1618 - 1680) was the most important portraitist in the reign of Charles II, although he had painted portraits throughout the Commonwealth. Principal Painter to the King, he painted everyone of importance, maintaining a busy and active Studio to help with the huge demand for his portraits. Members of his Circle, and his Followers, many of them talented artists in their own right, emulated his style to supply this constant market.
SIZE: 36 x 28.75 inches including the frame.
PROVENANCE: London Private Collection.
Note: verso, a pencilled inscription incorrectly names the sitter as John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester.
Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 17th Century.
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Portrait of James, Duke of Monmouth as a Youth C.1650; Circle of Lely.
