A portrait, believed to be the only painting of Lady Jane Grey from her lifetime, will be displayed alongside six new historic pictures from Friday.
New research from English Heritage and the Courtauld Institute of Art has provided “compelling evidence in favour of confirming” that a mysterious portrait depicts the “nine-day queen”.
Researchers used tree-ring dating to determine that the painted panel, consisting of two Baltic oak boards from two different trees, suggests a likely usage date for between 1539 and 1571.
The back of the panel displays a merchant or cargo mark identical to that used on a royal portrait of King Edward VI.
Infra-red reflectography, which shows what lies beneath the surface of the painting, showed that the sitter’s costume had been significantly changed after the initial portrait was complete.
Changes were found around the sleeves, and researchers suggested a white scarf on her shoulders was added in later.
Bands encircling the sitter’s right arm under the scarf, believed to be part of a wider decorative sleeve, or the top of a previous scarf worn draped over the lower arms, are similar to outfits worn by Lady Jane Grey in other depictions.
Lady Jane Grey was an English noblewoman who was proclaimed Queen of England and Ireland for the shortest reign in British history.
The great-granddaughter of Henry VII, she was a committed protestant who supported the reformed Church of England, continuing the foundations laid by her cousin, Edward VI.
She was deposed after nine days by Mary I, who would attempt to restore England to Catholicism.
It’s believed the changes made to the portrait in later years were made to depict the sitter as a protestant martyr.
Researchers noted a major change to the portrait’s eyes. Currently looking to the sitter’s left, the eyes were previously looking to the sitter’s right, past the viewer.
The eyes, mouth and ears had been deliberately scratched out – possibly for religious or political reasons – and an image of Lady Jane Grey in the National Portrait Gallery bears the same marks.
The portrait, on loan from a private collection, is on display at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire alongside six other historic paintings from today.
It was obtained by Anthony Grey, 11th Earl of Kent, in 1701 as part of the estate’s historic collection, as a depiction of Lady Jane Grey.
Peter Moore, English Heritage’s Curator at Wrest Park, said: “It remained the defining image of the ‘Nine Days Queen’ for over 300 years, until its attribution was thrown into doubt and its identity rejected.
“On loan from a private collection, it is thrilling to have this painting back at Wrest and the new research provides tantalising evidence which brings us much closer to the assertion that this could be Lady Jane Grey.”
For years the “nine-day queen” has fascinated many, but all known portraits of her were thought to have been created after she died at the age of 17.
The most famous depiction of the monarch hangs in the National Gallery from Paul Delaroche. The Execution of Lady Jane Grey depicts the teenager blindfolded and helpless in front of the execution block.
This new research would confirm that, if this portrait is Lady Jane Grey, it would be the only known picture to have been painted during her lifetime.
Rachel Turnbull, English Heritage’s Senior Collections Conservator, said: “Working alongside the Courtauld Institute of Art, and Dendrochronologist Ian Tyers, English Heritage has undertaken remarkable research in an effort to determine the identity of this portrait.
She added that while it didn’t confirm with certainty that the sitter was Lady Jane Grey, it was certainly a “compelling argument”.
“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. Regardless of her identity, the results of our research have been fascinating.”
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