Portret van Jacobus I van Engeland 1698

This is Pieter van Gunst’s print of James I of England, made sometime between 1675 and 1724. At this time, printmaking was a well-established industry in the Netherlands, with artists and publishers producing images for a growing market, both at home and abroad. This engraving presents James I in an oval frame, a format that lends a sense of formality and historical distance. Below, we see allegorical figures – putti – one kneeling and appearing to write, another holding a book with a lion emblem. These elements work together to construct an image of James I as a learned and powerful ruler. To understand this print fully, we need to consider the political and cultural context in which it was made, looking into the history of the Stuart monarchy, the artistic conventions of portraiture, and the role of prints in disseminating political imagery. It’s this kind of research that allows us to see how art actively shapes our understanding of history.