Anne Chéron (attr.), Portrait of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, ‘James VIII & III’

Attributed to Anne Chéron, Portrait of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, ‘James VIII & III,’ ‘The Old Pretender’

c.1704-1708
Oil on copper
3 ½ x 2 ¾ ins.

This refined and dignified portrait miniature, attributed to female artist Anne Chéron, is rendered meticulously with oil paint on a copper support and portrays Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, claimant to the British throne. The heir of his exiled father, King James VII & II, Prince James’s lineage and lifestyle were fit for a king of England, Scotland, and Ireland, however his steadfast Catholicism, and that of his immediate family, would disqualify them, unconditionally, from ever reigning as such. This unusually large miniature, and many other portraits like it, were objects designed with propaganda in mind; as an exiled claimant to the British throne, ‘James VIII & III’ as he was known to his followers the Jacobites, attempted to curry favour with European courts – usually fellow Catholics – to help them overthrow their Protestant cousins from the throne to which they were legitimately entitled. In order to do so, they commissioned artists to paint portraits that would convince their beholder that the exiled Stuarts were the ‘true’ royal family of Great Britain; in so doing their attractive likenesses could be effectively, and sophisticatedly propagated throughout Europe – and most importantly Britain – to spread their realm of influence and support.

Due to their discreet scale, miniatures were a favoured format for the Jacobite propaganda machine; simply hidden and easy to transport, these portraits were a preferable way of spreading support for the Jacobite claimants to the throne, especially in areas, like Britain, where their name and kind were unwelcome, at least officially. Portrait miniatures were, thus, effective means of secretly distributing a pleasing likeness of a prince attempting to secure his crown. This portrait dates from the early period of James’s ‘de jure’ reign. His title was recognised by Louis XIV who gave him the royal palace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. At this time Alexis Simon-Belle (1674-1734) was the principal portraitist to the exiled court, however this miniature, which may derive from his work, was probably by his wife, Anne Chéron (1663-1718). According to Dr. Edward Corp, the leading academic authority on Jacobite portraiture, this work conforms closely to ‘the style’ of Anne Chéron who thus supplied the need to disseminate the prince’s image more widely, and discreetly, than her husband’s larger pictures. It is also notable that Anne Chéron was only one of a handful of female artists working professionally in France, let alone Europe, at the turn of the eighteenth century. She is also the only recorded female Jacobite portraitist.

James here wears a fashionable high-peaked wig and dons a lacy cravat above a highly sheened ceremonial breastplate, over which he proudly wears the distinctive blue sash of the Order of the Garter. As the highest chivalric order in England, the Garter sash here represents an unequivocal legitimist claim.

Provenance:
Private Collection, Scotland

*We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Edward Corp for his assistance cataloguing this picture.