Researchers believe they may have identified the only known portrait of Lady Jane Grey, the “nine-day queen” who briefly reigned over England in 1553. The painting, on loan from a private collection, will go on display at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire alongside six other paintings. Using infrared reflectography, researchers discovered changes to the sitter’s costume, including her sleeves, coif, and the addition of a white scarf.
They also noted that the sitter’s eyes, which now look to her left, previously looked to her right. At some point, her eyes, mouth, and ears were scratched out, likely an iconoclastic attack. Rachel Turnbull, a senior collections conservator, said, “From the newly discovered evidence of a once perhaps more elaborate costume and the dating of the wooden panel from within her lifetime to the deliberate scratching of her eyes, it is possible that we are looking at the shadows of a once more royal portrait of Lady Jane Grey, toned down into subdued, Protestant martyrdom after her death.”
Grey reigned from July 10-19, 1553.
She was proclaimed queen as part of an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the accession of her Catholic cousin, Mary Tudor.
New clues in Lady Jane Grey portrait
Within a fortnight, she was back at the Tower of London as a prisoner of Mary I, who had claimed the throne.
Grey was executed on February 12, 1554 at the Tower of London. The few known representations of Grey were all painted after her death. This newly identified portrait, if confirmed to be Grey, would be a valuable addition to her portraiture.
Historical novelist Dr. Philippa Gregory commented, “This is such an interesting picture posing so many questions, and if this is Jane Grey, a valuable addition to the portraiture of this young heroine, as a woman of character—a powerful challenge to the traditional representation of her as a blindfolded victim.”
While researchers can’t confirm with certainty that the portrait is definitely Lady Jane Grey, their results make a compelling argument. Regardless of the sitter’s identity, the findings have been fascinating and shed new light on a mysterious historical figure.
