Cardinal Beaton. Murder of cardinal Beaton.

Half-length portrait of a man turned three-quarters to the left, on a dark background, wearing priestly robes, depicting Cardinal David Beaton (ci. 1494–1546), a Scottish Catholic clergyman and politician. Cardinal Beaton aspired to become the regent for the young heir to the Scottish throne, Mary I Stuart (1542–1587). Defending the independence of his country, he opposed Henry VIII (1491–1547) ascending to the Scottish throne and also resisted the proposed marriage of Mary to the king's son, Prince Edward (1537–1553). He provoked the ire of Protestants, especially after orchestrating the arrest, trial, and execution of Pastor George Wishart in 1545. Beaton was murdered by sword in a conspiracy orchestrated by the Scottish nobleman Norman Leslie (?–1554) and a group of co-conspirators acting in the interest of Henry VIII. A small scene beneath the portrait depicts his brutal murder. Rising from his chair near a hanging crucifix, the cardinal lifts his hands in a plea towards his attacker, who points a sword at him, accompanied by a group of armed soldiers. The decorative motif above the portrait features the cardinal's attributes: a crucifix surrounded by liturgical items and a book topped with a cardinal's hat. The composition is framed with a contour border, its corners adorned with entwined vine motifs. The original painting was created by William Hilton the Younger (1786–1839), a British portraitist and historical scene artist. The engraver, James Charles Armytage (1802–1897), worked in London producing reproductive prints. Between 1853 and 1887, he collaborated with The Art-Journal, reproducing works by artists of various eras and themes using copperplate and steel engraving techniques. A similar print based on Hilton’s portrait of Cardinal Beaton was also made by Charles Picart (circa 1780 – circa 1837). Ewa Gwiazdowska