Mary, Queen of Scots signs the paper by which she resigns her crown to her infant son (from "History of England")
Medium
Etching and stipple engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 14 1/2 × 13 7/16 in. (36.9 × 34.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.602.706
Tags
Art Historical Context
This 1787 etching and stip engraving captures a pivotal moment in Scottish history: Mary, Queen of Scots reluctantly signing the document that would force her abdication in favor of her infant son, James VI, in 1567. The scene reflects the political turmoil surrounding Mary’s reign, marked by her controversial marriages, the murder of her secretary David Rizzio, and the suspicious death of her husband Lord Darnley. Created after a design by William Hamilton and published as part of Paul de Rapin de Thoyras’s “History of England,” the print dramatizes a queen’s personal sacrifice amid intense n...