Terms and conditions of use
James I, King of England
1613
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Everard Studley Miller Bequest, 1959
- Gallery location
- Not on display
About this work
During his reign, King James I adopted the motto Beati pacifici – ‘blessed are the peacemakers’. In Crispijn de Passe’s portrait of the monarch, James I’s pacifist reputation is alluded to in a Latin inscription, which translates, in part, as: ‘King of so many brave men; who, with the terror of your name alone, subdues them, desiring peace; who, with peace, adorns ... the forum with just laws...’ In reality, the king’s pacifism was unpopular with much of the British public and frustrated his own son, Charles. Upon ascending the throne in 1625, Charles increased Britain’s military activity abroad, much of which ended in costly disaster.
Artwork Details
printed circularly in ink (in image) c.r.: HONY SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE
printed in ink l.l.: Qui regis imperio divisos orbe Britannos, / Rex tot virorum fortium; / Qui terrore tui solius nominis Sostes / Premis, quietis appetens;
printed in ink l.c.: Ao 1613 / Crisp Passæus figur: sculp: et exc.
printed in ink l.c.r.: Qui pace ecclesiam, justis qui legibus ornas / Forum, scholas doctoribus; / Atqƺ (q and ƺ joined) intervates pangis pia carmina, sceptro / Jungis decenter lauream.
Everard Studley Miller Bequest, 1959
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of the Joe White Bequest