Art & Court of James VI & I

This richly illustrated catalog accompanies the landmark exhibition The World of King James VI & I, held at the National Galleries Scotland from 26 April to 14 September 2025. Timed to mark the 400th anniversary of the king’s death, the exhibition and its companion volume shed new light on one of the most transformative periods in British art history.

James VI of Scotland, the son of the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots, who was accused of orchestrating the murder of his father, Lord Darnley, ascended the English throne in 1603 as James I, becoming the first monarch to unite the crowns of Scotland and England. His reign marked a turning point in the politics, culture, and identity of the British Isles. Yet the art and visual culture of this era have long remained overshadowed by the better-known Tudor and later Stuart courts.

Through portraits, decorative arts, tapestries, books, and diplomatic gifts, this catalog explores how art functioned as a powerful language of authority, legitimacy, and ambition in James’s world. Essays by leading scholars reveal the networks of patronage that connected the Jacobean court with continental Europe, examine how artists helped shape the image of a newly unified monarchy, and reconsider the cultural achievements of a king whose visual legacy is still being rediscovered.