Mary, Queen of Scots by Patrizio Belcampo

The above portrait of Mary Queen of Scots continues the tradition of portraiture which was practiced during Mary’s own life and times (1542-1567).  Only an few artists were invited to paint her face to face, but many  portraits and cameos existed of her.  The from-life paintings were reproduced by other artists who often referenced more than one original painting.  The results had varying degrees of accuracy which is why we find it difficult to know exactly what Mary looked like.  The symbolism created by the artist in the from-life paintings were propaganda, intended to reveal aspects of her personality and belief.  Cameos and portraits were worn or displayed in support of Mary, the un-recognised Queen of Scotland and England and Queen Dowager of France.

To produce his above portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, Patrizio Belcampo has drawn reference from a variety of paintings of Mary, some of which were taken from life, some were taken from other painters interpretations.  This places his screenprint as a contemporary artwork, which references and respects the traditions of Mary’s generation of artists.  The paintings he referred to are:
Nicholas Hilliard’s “Mary in Captivity” c.1578,



Rowland Lockey’s portrait of 1578



and The Blairs Memorial Portrait (painted after her death) from the early 17th:



The memorial portrait can currently be seen in the National Museum of Scotland exhibition and as it is usually exhibited in the owners private collection, this is a rare opportunity to see the striking painting in the flesh.  Patrizio’s print draws influence from this painting (in particular the head dress and Mary’s black attire) which will always link his limited edition print, back to this remarkable painting.

Patrizio has pulled various elements from the above compositions and stylized them to his own design.   The collar, crusafix, hair piece and facial features are easily identified, as is the use of text and flat background colour.  The reduction of a 3 dimensional figure to flat colours is part of Patrizio’s design process, which embarrasses the restrictions of screenprinting and emphasizes the artist’s skill for distilling a complex image to it’s necessary parts, revealing a minimal, yet striking likeness.

This process of reducing a 3D object to a minimal, flat composition is a process Mary, Queen of Scots would have used to create her largescale tapestries which she worked on during her time in captivity, 1569 – 1587.  (An example of this can be seen in the NMS exhibition).  One octagon shaped panel, depicts some embroidered, stylized foliage, Mary’s motto for this section is “do not place to much trust in appearances”.  Given her turbulent life, this motto has extra significance, but when applied to Mary’s embroidery and The Blair’s Memorial Portrait, it emphasizes the underlying symbolism and importance of hidden meaning within her everyday life.  By adopting 16th century iconography into his Mary, Queen of Scots, Patrizio Belcampo references a time period whose language is almost extinct



The M and R symbols are derived from Mary’s signature monogram used in her tapestries, and reminds us of her French upbringing, it would have been instantly recognizable as her monogram, in the 16th century.  The necklace is a filigree, catholic prayer necklace or “rosary” (the rose it’s self has another meaning in paintings of this time, any ideas?) and the hand gesture, Patrizio Belcampo regards it as a compositional decision, intended to display the most recognizable form of a feminine hand when reduced to a flat colour.  What it would have ment to Mary’s audience is another matter, as is what you derriere from it.

If you would like to discuss any of these symbols with the Artist, or The Red Door Gallery team, please come along to The National Museum of Scotland for their After Hours Event.  Tonight at 7pm or Saturday August 24th.

If you would like to discuss any of these symbols with the Artist, or The Red Door Gallery team, please come along to The National Museum of Scotland for their After Hours Event.  Tonight at 7pm or Saturday August 24th.



Mary, Queen of Scots by Patrizio Belcampo