Antique Image of the Day: A Mezzotint of Queen Mary II, 17th C.

Maria D.G. Angliae Scotiae Franciae et Hiberniae Regina & CT. 
Mezzotint, John Smith
The Victoria & Albert Museum

A mezzotint is a form of tonal engraving made when the surface of a metal plate is pitted with a serrated tool called a “rocker.” The plate is then scraped and smoothed so that different areas of the plate will hold varying quantities of ink depending on the relief. This technique creates a range of rich, textures and tones and white highlights when the image is printed onto the paper.

The print we see here is based on a portrait of Queen Mary II (Who ruled as Sovereign jointly with her cousin/husband King William III and II) which was painted in 1688 by the Dutch painter and engraver Jan van der Vaardt, who moved to England in 1674.

This is the work of one John Smith, a printmaker who is thought to be one of the most important mezzotinters of the Seventeenth Century.

Here, Queen Mary II is depicted as dressed in the height of fashion, in the style set by the French court, wearing a formal mantua of striped and figured silk. Her royal noggin is adorned with an elaborate lace headdress which was called a frelange, with ribbon-bows behind (known as fontanges). The whole ensemble was held up by a wire frame called a commode.

Gifts of Grandeur: Queen Mary II's Orb, 1689

Queen Mary II's Coronation Orb
Robert Viner, the Younger, 1689
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Since Queen Mary II (1662-94) ruled as a joint sovereign with her consort William III, she required the creation of an additional orb and sceptre for the coronation ceremony of 1689. This is the orb which was made for Mary II. It looks quite grand, but there’s a story behind it.

The stones which were originally set in the orb were hired (as in rented) for the occasion of the coronation. These would originally have included diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. After the ceremony all of the stones were removed, returned to their supplier, and replaced with pastes. Huh…

Since this orb is basically a fancy costume piece now, it has not been used since the 1689 coronation, with one exception. On the occasion of Queen Victoria's funeral this was placed with the other, real, royal orb on Her Majesty’s coffin, to signify her two titles as Queen and Empress.

This orb was created by Robert Viner, the Younger—the Royal goldsmith at the time. It’s not without value. Aside from its historical significance, it is comprised of heavy gold, pearls, silver and rock crystal in addition to the glittering pastes. The orb, in general, was meant to symbolize the Christian world. To this end, it is surmounted with a cross and features bands of “jewels” and pearls dividing it up to represent the three continents known in medieval Europe.

The Orb in its Original Velvet Case
Crown Copyright
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Figure of the Day: Queen Mary II , 1695

Model of Queen Mary II
John Nost
Terracotta, 1695
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This statuette of painted terracotta depicts Queen Mary II, consort-of and co-regent with King William III, holding an orb and sceptre and looking towards her left. The Queen wears her crown and bejeweled dress ( and presumably her coronation robes). This figure was a model for a full-size statue which has since been lost, following the fire at the Exchange of 1838.

The 1695 sculpture is the work of John Nost, a native of Malines in The Netherlands, who was first recorded in England around 1678, working at Windsor Castle under Hugh May. Notably, Nost specialized in lead figures, though he also worked in other materials, such as assorted stones and terracotta. A popular artist of the Seventeenth Century, Nost was commissioned to make a numerous lead garden figures for great houses and palaces, including Castle Howard and Hampton Court Palace.

Mastery of Design: Queen Mary’s Patch Box, 1694

Patch Box of Queen Mary II
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
All Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Mary II

From the Sixteenth Century, well into the Nineteenth Century, ladies (and later gentleman) wore “patches” on their faces for the purposes of heightening the beauty of their complexion. Of course, that’s what they claimed. However, the real reason for wearing gummed pieces of black crepe on the face—in the affectation of a beauty mark or mole—was, in fact, to cover scars, blemishes and craters left from smallpox. While patches mostly took the form of a round spot, they sometimes were cut into elaborate designs ranging from stars to intricately-cut silhouettes of carriages and horses. The fashion became so out of control that some were wearing many patches at once—presumably to make themselves more beautiful, but realistically, trying to hide an increasing number of skin problems. Critics of the practice considered it grotesque. The response to their disgust was often the argument that Venus herself had a spot on her face.


Patches were, quite fashionably, reused and stored in boxes on a lady’s vanity. Patch Boxes, as they were called, were often crafted by jewelers who indulged in the use of the finest stones and metals. Queen Mary II(1662-1694), the Queen Regnant who ruled alongside King William III, began wearing patches in the last year of her life despite a statement made by the Bishop of Gloucester that the queen, “Did not entertain such childish vanities as spotted faces.” And, perhaps, she normally wouldn’t have. However, during her thirty-second year of life, she mysteriously began adding patches to her daily routine. As it turns out, she’d contracted smallpox which had left her face scarred and in need of covering…oh, yes, and also killed her. 

Patch Box
Presented to Queen Mary II in 1694
Gold, Enamel and Diamonds
The Royal Collection

Of course, when the Queen started wearing patches, she needed a proper patch box. Given Mary II’s great passion for jewelry, a very fine box was supplied to her by a now unknown German jeweler. This patch box, presented to the Queen just before her death in 1694 was made of gold which was finely enameled with her cipher and encrusted with diamonds. What a pity that she didn’t get to enjoy it.

Upon her death, this item, along with much of her jewelry, was bequeathed to friends and family and fell out of possession of The Royal Collection. In 1963, it reappeared at an auction at Christie’s in London where Queen Elizabeth II purchased it and brought it back into the Royal Family.

Mastery of Design: Mary of Modena's Diadem, 1685

Mary of Modena's Diadem
Sir John Viner, 1685
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The Royal Goldsmith during the reign of Queen Mary II and King William III, Sir Robert Viner, 1st Baronet (1631-88) created this diadem in 1685 of gold, silver, quartz crystal, pearls, velvet and ermine.

The diadem was purchased by Queen Mary of Modena, Consort of James II, King of Great Britain (1658-1718). It is comprised of a gold circlet which comes to a peak at the front. A border of pearls adorns the piece above foliated scrolls of rose-cut quartz crystal clusters and rosettes which are mounted with gold wire. A purple velvet cap and ermine band are fitted into the circlet.

The quartz crystals that we see today were installed as replacements to the diamonds which were originally rented from a supplier for the coronation of 1685. Queen Mary II wore this, her step-mother's diadem, at the procession leading up to her own coronation on April 11, 1689, and it was worn again by Queen Anne in 1702. Some believe that it was also worn by George II's consort, Queen Caroline, in 1727, but this can’t be confirmed. The piece fell into disuse by the reign of King George III, and the quartz has remained ever since. Previously, for important occasions, diamonds were again hired and worn in place of the quartz.

The Home Beautiful: A Delftware Tile from Hampton Court Palace, 1694

Delftware Tile
Lead-glazed Earthenware
Dutch, 1694
Made for the Water Gallery at Hampton Court Palace
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, tin-glazed earthenware tiles like this one were produced in large quantities in the Netherlands. This example, however, is exceptional in both its unusually large size, the quality of its decoration and its subject matter.


This tile was one of a group produced for Mary II (ruled 1688-1694) by Adrianus Kocx's prestigious “Greek A” factory in Delft. Daniel Marot (1661-1752), a Huguenot émigré, painted this as well as the others in the series of panels which were each formed from four tiles. The set was made to flank a fireplace or, possibly, a doorway at The Water Gallery--a Tudor building at Hampton Court near London that had been remodeled by Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723).

A contemporary writer Celia Fiennes (1662-1741), who visited The Water Gallery soon after the completion of the remodel in 1694, said Queen Mary II took great delight in the redesigned space. Fiennes continued that The Gallery “opened into a balcony on to the water and was decked with china and fine pictures.” At “The Gallery,” Queen Mary II is said by Fiennes to have, “indulged her passion for delftware, which was presumably in part displayed in the 'Delft-Ware Closett.’” 

Figure of the Day: Queen Mary II , 1695

Model of Queen Mary II
John Nost
Terracotta, 1695
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This statuette of painted terracotta depicts Queen Mary II, consort-of and co-regent with King William III, holding an orb and sceptre and looking towards her left. The Queen wears her crown and bejeweled dress ( and presumably her coronation robes). This figure was a model for a full-size statue which has since been lost, following the fire at the Exchange of 1838.

The 1695 sculpture is the work of John Nost, a native of Malines in The Netherlands, who was first recorded in England around 1678, working at Windsor Castle under Hugh May. Notably, Nost specialized in lead figures, though he also worked in other materials, such as assorted stones and terracotta. A popular artist of the Seventeenth Century, Nost was commissioned to make a numerous lead garden figures for great houses and palaces, including Castle Howard and Hampton Court Palace.

Gifts of Grandeur: Queen Mary II's Orb, 1689

Queen Mary II's Coronation Orb
Robert Viner, the Younger, 1689
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Since Queen Mary II (1662-94) ruled as a joint sovereign with her consort William III, she required the creation of an additional orb and sceptre for the coronation ceremony of 1689. This is the orb which was made for Mary II. It looks quite grand, but there’s a story behind it.

The stones which were originally set in the orb were hired (as in rented) for the occasion of the coronation. These would originally have included diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. After the ceremony all of the stones were removed, returned to their supplier, and replaced with pastes. Huh…

Since this orb is basically a fancy costume piece now, it has not been used since the 1689 coronation, with one exception. On the occasion of Queen Victoria's funeral this was placed with the other, real, royal orb on Her Majesty’s coffin, to signify her two titles as Queen and Empress.

This orb was created by Robert Viner, the Younger—the Royal goldsmith at the time. It’s not without value. Aside from its historical significance, it is comprised of heavy gold, pearls, silver and rock crystal in addition to the glittering pastes. The orb, in general, was meant to symbolize the Christian world. To this end, it is surmounted with a cross and features bands of “jewels” and pearls dividing it up to represent the three continents known in medieval Europe.

The Orb in its Original Velvet Case
Crown Copyright
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

 

The Home Beautiful: The Monnoyer Painted Mirror, 1710-20

Painted Mirror
Antoine Monnoyer, 1710-20
The Victoria & Albert Museum

For a painted mirror such as this to survive for centuries is nothing short of miraculous.   The mirror glass is fragile and the surface paint easily chipped or stripped away during cleaning.   Furthermore,  such mirrors were often built into an interior and many examples were destroyed when the room was altered or redecorated.

This mirror is the work of the French artist Antoine Monnoyer who was born in 1672--the son of the artist Jean Baptiste Monnoyer, who worked for Louis XIV.  Coming to England in 1683, the Monnoyers, both father and son, painted flowers from all seasons of the year, achieving a decorative effect that would have been impossible with fresh-cut flowers. According to the V&A, “Jean Baptiste did a mirror closet at Kensington Palace for Mary II. Apparently she was so fascinated by his skill that she watched him while he worked.”

This mirror was painted in England and includes the coat of arms of the Duncombe Family, thought it is speculated that this was probably added later.  This example may have been an overmantel in a room which was thickly hung with tapestries.

Queen Mary, consort of King George V, was a fan of this style of mirror and, as such, hoped to restore the similarly-painted mirror closets at Kensington Palace.  She ordered such fashionable painted glass to be installed, but it does not survive.

Antique Image of the Day: A Mezzotint of Queen Mary II, 17th C.

Maria D.G. Angliae Scotiae Franciae et Hiberniae Regina & CT. 
Mezzotint, John Smith
The Victoria & Albert Museum

A mezzotint is a form of tonal engraving made when the surface of a metal plate is pitted with a serrated tool called a “rocker.”  The plate is then scraped and smoothed so that different areas of the plate will hold varying quantities of ink depending on the relief. This technique creates a range of rich, textures and tones and white highlights when the image is printed onto the paper.

The print we see here is based on a portrait of Queen Mary II (Who ruled as Sovereign jointly with her cousin/husband King William III and II) which was painted in 1688 by the Dutch painter and engraver Jan van der Vaardt, who moved to England in 1674.

This is the work of one John Smith, a printmaker who is thought to be one of the most important mezzotinters of the Seventeenth Century.

Here, Queen Mary II is depicted as dressed in the height of fashion, in the style set by the French court, wearing a formal mantua of striped and figured silk. Her royal noggin is adorned with an elaborate lace headdress which was called a frelange, with ribbon-bows behind (known as fontanges). The whole ensemble was held up by a wire frame called a commode.

Mastery of Design: Queen Mary’s Patch Box, 1694

Queen Mary II

From the Sixteenth Century, well into the Nineteenth Century, ladies (and later gentleman) wore “patches” on their faces for the purposes of heightening the beauty of their complexion. Of course, that’s what they claimed. However, the real reason for wearing gummed pieces of black crepe on the face—in the affectation of a beauty mark or mole—was, in fact, to cover scars, blemishes and craters left from smallpox. While patches mostly took the form of a round spot, they sometimes were cut into elaborate designs ranging from stars to intricately-cut silhouettes of carriages and horses. The fashion became so out of control that some were wearing many patches at once—presumably to make themselves more beautiful, but realistically, trying to hide an increasing number of skin problems. Critics of the practice considered it grotesque. The response to their disgust was often the argument that Venus herself had a spot on her face.


Patches were, quite fashionably, reused and stored in boxes on a lady’s vanity. Patch Boxes, as they were called, were often crafted by jewelers who indulged in the use of the finest stones and metals. Queen Mary II(1662-1694), the Queen Regnant who ruled alongside King William III, began wearing patches in the last year of her life despite a statement made by the Bishop of Gloucester that the queen, “Did not entertain such childish vanities as spotted faces.” And, perhaps, she normally wouldn’t have. However, during her thirty-second year of life, she mysteriously began adding patches to her daily routine. As it turns out, she’d contracted smallpox which had left her face scarred and in need of covering…oh, yes, and also killed her.

Patch Box
Presented to Queen Mary II in 1694
Gold, Enamel and Diamonds
The Royal Collection

Of course, when the Queen started wearing patches, she needed a proper patch box. Given Mary II’s great passion for jewelry, a very fine box was supplied to her by a now unknown German jeweler. This patch box, presented to the Queen just before her death in 1694 was made of gold which was finely enameled with her cipher and encrusted with diamonds. What a pity that she didn’t get to enjoy it.

Upon her death, this item, along with much of her jewelry, was bequeathed to friends and family and fell out of possession of The Royal Collection. In 1963, it reappeared at an auction at Christie’s in London where Queen Elizabeth II purchased it and brought it back into the Royal Family.