Portrait of James Drummond, 4th Earl and 1st Duke of Perth, bust-length, in Garter robes, feigned oval

Details

Follower of Alexis Simon Belle (1674-1734)
Portrait of James Drummond, 4th Earl and 1st Duke of Perth, bust-length, in Garter robes, feigned oval
oil on canvas
30 x 23¼ in. (76.2 x 59 cm.)

Literature

The Concise Catalogue of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1990, pp. 233-4, pl. 223 (as 'Attributed to Alexis Simon Belle').
E. Corp, The King over the Water - Portraits of Stuarts in Exile after 1689, Edinburgh, 2001, p.103.

Exhibited

Edinburgh, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, on loan 1958-2001.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

James Drummond was born in 1648, the elder son of James, 3rd Earl of Drummond and Lady Anne Gordon, eldest daughter of George, 2nd Marquis of Huntly. An ambitious and successful politician, he supported Lauderdale and was made a member of the privy council in 1678 and Lord Chancellor in 1684. Although he had previously affirmed his loyalty to the Church of England, he converted to Catholicism in 1685 and became King James II's confidant and chief agent of the Catholic administration in Scotland. He joined the exiled Stuarts in France and became Governor to James, Prince of Wales. He was created Duke of Perth in accordance with the terms in the King's will and a Knight of the Garter in 1706. He died at Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 11 May 1716. Belle's prototype (current whereabouts unknown) for the present picture is believed to have been painted in Paris c.1714.

We are grateful for the assistance of Edward Corp in the cataloguing of this lot.

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