Artwork
Mary II Stuart
Mary II Stuart is a copper painting by the Rococo painting artist Charles Boit. It dates from 1708 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Charles Boit’s enamel portrait of Mary II, created in 1708, is executed on a copper plate using vitreous enamel. The work belongs to the early‑18th‑century Rococo period and is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents the reigning queen of England, Mary II, in a composed pose. She wears a blue gown trimmed with white lace, a pearl necklace, and her dark hair falls in loose curls, her expression neutral with a faint smile, reflecting the dignified yet approachable royal portraiture of the era.
Technique & Style
Boit employed the enamel medium, applying powdered glass pigments to the copper surface and firing them to achieve a glossy, durable finish. The painting demonstrates a realistic handling of texture, especially in the lace and pearls, while chiaroscuro modelling gives the figure a three‑dimensional presence against a dark background.
History & Provenance
A Swedish enamelist active in England, Boit produced this portrait during his English period, contributing to the court’s visual culture after the Glorious Revolution. The piece later entered the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display as part of their European decorative arts holdings.
Context
The portrait reflects the political climate of the late 1600s, when Mary II’s joint rule with William III symbolized the constitutional settlement of the Glorious Revolution. Enamel portraiture, popular among aristocratic patrons, offered a luminous alternative to oil, aligning with the Rococo taste for refined elegance.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Boit (10 August 1662, in Stockholm – 6 February 1727, in Paris) was a Swedish painter in vitreous enamels who mostly worked in England, Austria and France.
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Unknown woman
Portrait of Mary II Stuart (1662-1695)