Mary, Queen of Scots 1811

Curator: Standing before us, we have a print from 1811 titled "Mary, Queen of Scots." It's an engraving, currently residing here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Austere, isn't it? It reminds me of a cameo—very restrained, very formal. All clean lines. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, engravings like this, even when portraying royalty, really bring to the fore the means of production—the skill of the engraver is undeniable, working laboriously to translate an image onto a plate. Consider the act of reproducing her image... each impression becomes a tool, a means of conveying power and legitimacy but through a more accessible medium than painting. It speaks to shifting ideas of how rulership is portrayed and consumed. Editor: Interesting. It’s far less romantic than I'd expect. When I think of Mary, Queen of Scots, I think intrigue, passion, and drama. Yet, here, everything seems... measured. Deliberately composed for propaganda? I almost want a glimpse of vulnerability. Curator: Maybe it's showing a controlled public face to maintain control in an uncertain environment. Each deliberate, precise line made in the engraving acts almost like an emotional corset for this already restrained queen. But also imagine who this print might be consumed by: the rising middle classes, perhaps keen to assert its grasp on taste and judgement. And is she not the commodity to be consumed herself? The engraving technique reinforces a controlled social order for those new spectators. Editor: That's a point. Still, even the way she's presented in profile—it minimizes and simplifies. Makes me wonder if it's an attempt to manage her dangerous mystique—reducing this formidable historical figure to a silhouette. Curator: It’s an interesting idea, that it simplifies things… That connects directly to the act of creation: this artwork does what it says on the tin. She IS distilled, in a material, and almost alchemical transformation… But I guess what I’m saying is that what she becomes—a fixed engraving, forever accessible—can be more compelling than perhaps more elaborate mediums. Editor: Agreed. And it makes you consider who wanted her distilled, and how this seemingly simple image operated in a more extensive system of material culture, commerce, and control. Thank you. Curator: Thanks!