Mary Queen of Scots Portrait – Hever Castle

Mary Queen of Scots Portrait – Hever Castle

Another fabulous painting i got to see in person, at Hever Castle, was this beautiful rare portrait of Mary Queen of Scots.

On 8th February 2019, 432 years after she died on the same date in 1587, a portrait of Mary Queen of Scots went on display at Hever Castle.

The extremely rare painting of the Scottish Queen hangs in the Castle’s Inner Hall.

The work is believed to come from the studio of François Clouet, a French Renaissance miniaturist and painter, particularly known for his detailed portraits of the French ruling family.

This 16th century portrait of Mary is particularly important, as there are only two portraits of her in mourning.

The Hever portrait shows Mary in a form of mourning, but not the full mourning seen in the earlier portrait in the Royal Collection.

Mary is wearing mourning clothes, called ‘en deuil blanc’ occasioned by the death of three close members of her family within eighteen months.

Her father-in-law King Henri II, her mother Mary of Guise and then her husband, François II.

? Picture credits – M.Tong for The Tudor Intruders.