The Battle-Array of Carberry-hill near Edinburgh with the Surrender of Mary Queen of Scots to the Confederate Lords of Scotland, and the Escape of Earl Bothwell

Art Historical Context

This striking etching and engraving captures a pivotal moment in Scottish history: the confrontation at Carberry Hill in June 1567. Following the murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley, Mary Queen of faced rebellion from Confederate Lords who opposed her marriage to the Earl of Bothwell. The scene shows Mary’s surrender to the lords while Bothwell flees, highlighting the dramatic collapse of her authority and the political turmoil that led to her eventual imprisonment and abdication. Created in 1742 by engravers George Vertue and John Oliver after earlier designs associated with artists such as Livinus de Vogelaare and Robert Peake the Elder, the print uses fine etching and engraving techniques to convey intricate details of armor, landscape, and expressive figures. This reproductive medium allowed the dramatic narrative to reach wider audiences centuries after the events, preserving a visual record of one of the most contested episodes in Mary’s reign. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of drawings and prints, the work serves as both historical document and artistic interpretation, inviting viewers to reflect on themes of power, loyalty, and fate in 16th-century Scotland.