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Creator:
unknown artist nineteenth century (imitator of French 17th century bronzes)
Title:
A Roman Emperor
Former Title(s):
James II
Date:
1830s
Materials & Techniques:
Bronze
Dimensions:
Overall: 23 x 13 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches (58.4 x 34.3 x 19.1 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1977.14.8
Classification:
Sculptures
Collection:
Paintings and Sculpture
Subject Terms:
emperor | portrait | Roman (style or period)
Access:
Not on view
Link:
https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:1455
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Seventeenth-century European sovereigns were often represented in the guise of a soldier--emperor of ancient Rome, but in the case of James II, the role carried with it unwelcome political and religious overtones. Shortly after the death of Charles II, in 1685, his illegitimate son James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, raised an army, declared himself king of England at Lyme in Dorset, and attempted to depose James II. The anti-Ccatholic rebellion was decisively crushed at the Battle of Sedgemoor in Somerset, but James's reign was undermined-and faced another, more daunting military threat from his Protestant nephew (and son-in-law), William of Orange (whose even more proudly imperial bust in marble is to your right). James was eventually deposed, and as Bishop Burnet observed: "A great king with strong armies and mighty fleets, a vast treasure and powerful allies fell all at once."

Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2005

Taste & Beauty in Three Dimensions: Paul Mellon and British Sculpture (Yale Center for British Art, 2002-10-23 - 2004-02-15) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition]

Taste & beauty in three dimensions : Paul Mellon and British sculpture, , Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Conn., 2002, p. [3], no. 4, V 1426 (YCBA) [YCBA]


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