Over 400 years because the Gunpowder Plot, James VI and I lives on

The portray of James VI, which is on mortgage from a personal assortment, usually hangs within the Mary Room at Edinburgh Castle. However, on the finish of final yr the portray was dropped at HES’s conservation studio to undertake a full evaluation and important conservation therapy. 

James VI and I, who dominated Scotland from 1567 as James VI and England and Ireland from 1603 as James I, is the one monarch to have been born at Edinburgh Castle. The solely son of Mary, Queen of Scots, he’s the longest-reigning monarch in Scotland’s historical past. He was additionally the goal of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, the tried regicide plot to explode the House of Lords in the course of the State Opening of Parliament. The thwarted conspiracy is commemorated by Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) on 5 November every year.

Over the various centuries of the portrait’s life, it naturally accumulates floor dust and modifications within the protecting varnish coatings. The portray underwent conservation work to stabilise the paint layer. The previous, discoloured varnish was rigorously eliminated and changed with a brand new protecting varnish. King James VI and I’s silvery blue sash and his gold regalia, which had dulled within the centuries since they had been first painted, now shine as soon as extra.

During the consolidation and conservation work, varied strands of investigation additionally turned obvious for Ailsa Murray, Senior Paintings Conservator. Several areas of the portray had been retouched throughout earlier conservation therapy, seen as darkish purple areas below ultraviolet (UV) mild. Through scientific evaluation of the fill materials, it was discovered that there had been at the least two campaigns of conservation beforehand. The authentic portray had sooner or later been lined with a second canvas, and the unique stretcher, the picket construction that holds the canvas in place, had additionally been changed.

The different strand of investigation explored the id of the portrait’s painter. The inscription on the underside proper reads ‘Painted by Jameson’ superimposed by a second inscription ‘School of Vandyck’. It is feasible that this pertains to the seventeenth century Scottish portrait painter George Jamesone (b. 1587 – d. 1644), although it could have been added later.

The authentic portrait by Van Dyck of James VI and I types a part of the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. The portrait was posthumously painted for Charles I and dates from 1632. If the portrait at Edinburgh Castle was certainly painted by Jamesone, this narrows the window from 1632 to 1644, when Jamesone handed away.

Ailsa Murray, Senior Painting Conservator at HES, mentioned:

This portray has lots of historical past to inform, and a few of it could but be uncovered. We hope that via this conservation therapy, the portray will be capable to see one other 400 years and proceed to be loved by guests from everywhere in the world.

“It’s a real privilege to be able to work so closely with such historically important works and to be just a small part of helping to preserve such collections for future generations.”

About Historic Environment Scotland (HES)