Frances Stuart, Duchess of Richmond
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
In this work, court painter Jacob Huysmans depicted Frances Stuart as Minerva, the goddess of intellect, military victory, and the arts, and a daughter of Jupiter. She sports the Roman goddess’s attributes: spear and armor, including a helmet and shield adorned with the head of Medusa. Minerva was also associated with chastity, and so the choice to represent Stuart in this guise might have been understood in the context of sexual intrigues at the seventeenth-century court of King Charles II of England. The king was infatuated with Stuart and, although he chose her as the model for Britannia, the female personification of Great Britain, she is thought not to have succumbed to his advances.
Caption
Jacob Huysmans (Flemish, ca. 1630–1696). Frances Stuart, Duchess of Richmond, mid 1660's. Oil on canvas, 77 3/4 × 46 3/8 in., 161 lb. (197.5 × 117.8 cm) frame: 84 × 52 1/2 × 4 in. (213.4 × 133.4 × 10.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. George C. Goodwin, 62.52. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Artist
Title
Frances Stuart, Duchess of Richmond
Date
mid 1660's
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
77 3/4 × 46 3/8 in., 161 lb. (197.5 × 117.8 cm) frame: 84 × 52 1/2 × 4 in. (213.4 × 133.4 × 10.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. George C. Goodwin
Accession Number
62.52
Frequent Art Questions
Is this a real person?
This painting depicts Francis Stuart as Athena, daughter of Zeus. Stuart was a prominent 17th century British woman known for her beauty and involvement in palace intrigue.The artist of this piece, Jacob Huysmans was a 17th century painter born in Antwerp who worked for the court of British King Charles II.He painted portraits of British royalty in the grand Baroque tradition. His female portraits often portrayed the sitter in the guise of mythological heroines or allegorical beauties, like you see here.Is this person a soldier?
I can see why you might think that, but this painting depicts Frances Stuart, the Duchess of Richmond. She is shown dressed as Athena, the ancient Greek goddess including Athena's shield and helmet.Who is the face on the bottom right?
The face on the shield is the serpent-haired head of Medusa! In this portrait, the artist has portrayed the sitter in the guise of of a Greek goddess, Athena, who was the goddess of military victory, among other things. She is believed to have carried this shield bearing the terrifying head of Medusa.Thank you
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