Mary Queen of Scots is put back in picture

Published on Tuesday 22 January 2002 00:00

A HISTORIC painting by an unknown artist depicting the last day of Mary Queen of Scots is to be restored in Gullane.

The full-length portrait is believed to be the last painted of Scotland’s ill-fated monarch. However, mystery surrounds the artist’s identity .

Sally Cheyne will restore the painting in her East Lothian studio before returning it to its home at an Aberdeen art gallery. She hopes to discover the artist’s identity in the process but admits it is highly unlikely she will.

It is thought the artist was of Flemish descent and that the picture was painted between 1587 and 1620. Mary is shown on the day of her execution at Fotheringay Castle in Northamptonshire in 1587 holding a crucifix in one hand and a Bible in the other.

It is believed the portrait was commissioned by the Queen’s lady-in-waiting, Elizabeth Curle, who also appears in the painting.

She was given a miniature portrait of the monarch on the day she died and later fled to Antwerp with her brother. Her son later became a priest at Douai Scots College in France.

Elizabeth gave the painting to the French college on the proviso that if they ever set up a college in Scotland it was to go there.

During the French Revolution in the 18th century the priests were forced to flee to Scotland. One of them cut the portrait from its frame, rolled it up and hid it up a French chimney.

It was not until 1830 that Blair’s College in Aberdeen started negotiations to bring the painting back to Scotland. The French government gave permission for the portrait to be returned to its rightful home in Scotland.

Ms Cheyne, 37, who has worked as a restorer for 17 years, said she felt very lucky to be working on such a historic portrait. She said the painting was in remarkably good condition for its age, but previous restorations had left it slightly the worse for wear: "It has one large tear and there are small paint losses on it and it is very yellow."

She said the painting had been relined and re-stretched during previous attempts to restore it and structurally it wasn’t holding.

"It will strengthen up once I have cleaned away the layers of glue and scraped off the dirt and grime."

She added: "We don’t know who painted this portrait but that is not unusual for this type of work.

"It is more of a political document, a record of the last days of Mary. I have worked at cleaning off the discoloration from the painting itself and it would be unusual to find a signature on the surface of a painting like this." She said if the artist had left a mark it would most likely be on the back, which is still covered by a second canvas .

Blair Museum supervisor David Taylor said he was "delighted and excited" by the prospect of the restoration.

"The painting has been hidden under layers of dirt, pipe smoke and varnish for years and this will restore some of the colour which had disappeared.

"There is 400 years of history hidden under it all and we’re hoping there will be some sort of mystic revelation once the work is completed."

He said there were two known copies of the portrait, one of which currently hangs in Windsor Castle. "But we are very proud we have the real thing," he said.

Ms Cheyne has until the end of next month to restore the painting in time for the Blair Museum’s opening in March.