Mary, Queen of Scots 1791

Curator: Here we have John Keyse Sherwin’s print, "Mary, Queen of Scots," created in 1791. The work, currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is an engraving on paper, a portrait embedded within historical and neoclassical elements. Editor: It's striking, this pale image on aged paper. A serene oval portrait floating above a queenly pillow... somehow sad and grand at the same time. It whispers of long-ago tragedies, of power and loss. Curator: Exactly! This print reflects the enduring fascination with Mary’s life. Though created centuries after her execution, Sherwin leverages Neoclassical aesthetics, which, by the late 18th century, frequently engaged with historical themes to create morally instructive works. Editor: Morally instructive, huh? I get more of a feeling that there is an iconic story retold—a mythos—like a fragile echo. Look at the symbols he includes around Mary. Those are not roses on either side of her frame, but thistles of Scotland. Curator: Very true. Symbolism was everything in Neoclassical art, and as you say, the presence of thistles serves a strong nationalist agenda as does the Scottish royal crown right below the central portrait. This composition does monumentalize a contested queen, certainly. Editor: Monumentalize her—I'll say! But there’s still that air of vulnerability, isn’t there? This delicate print reminds me how easily we can romanticize history, obscuring the complexities and humanity of figures like Mary. Curator: That is an important tension—to acknowledge the myth-making while appreciating the artistry and its political aims within a specific moment. The artwork invites reflection not just on Mary, but on how her story has been shaped and reshaped across time. Editor: In the end, looking at this print feels a bit like peering into a dusty mirror, catching a glimpse of a queen, a country, a legend. Maybe it helps to illuminate us to how we look at queens, at countries, and legends of our time today.