Carved stone portrait bust of James VI and I

This carved stone portrait in the King’s House at the Tower of London shows King James VI and I (1566-1625) in half relief wearing a wide-brimmed hat with an ostrich feather and the Three Brothers jewel. Around his neck is the blue ribbon of the Order of the Garter. This image of James is closely based on the portrait type by the serjeant painter John de Critz (c 1550-1642) of which notable examples survive in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the National Trust. As a carved relief portrait, however, this sculpture is unique. The carving is executed with exceptional skill and is painted to give a vivid, life-like impression.

The date of the carving is not recorded but the earliest known reference to this sculpture can be found in John Strype's edition of Stow's Survey of London, published in 1720. Strype records seeing 'a fine lively Figure of [James], with his hat on, and, as it seems, very much resembling him'. It is unlikely that the sculpture was new when Strype saw it in 1720 and it is more likely that it was in fact made during the lifetime of James VI and I. The Council Chamber in which it is located was created under the orders of the Lieutenant of the Tower, William Waad (1546-1623), in 1607. As Lieutenant, Waad was the commanding officer of the Tower and the King's House - then known as the Lieutenant's Lodging - was his home. In the following year, a large marble monument was erected in the room to commemorate Waad's role in the defeat of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. It is reasonable to suggest that this sculpture of James VI and I, who was the target of the Gunpowder Plot, was made at the same time.

The maker of the sculpture is also unknown, but the workmanship bears an affinity with the work of the carver Maximilian Colt (fl 1595-1645). Colt was given the title Master Carver or Master Sculptor to the King in 1608 so was well placed to fulfil this commission. He is best known for his tomb effigy of Queen Elizabeth I at Westminster Abbey, completed 1604/5-1606, and his life-size statue of James VI and I at Hatfield House, dated 1609-11.

Records of the King’s House reveal that the Council Chamber was used by the Lieutenant of the Tower to interrogate prisoners in. The Gunpowder Plot monument and this carved portrait of James VI and I must have acted as tools of the interrogation, reminding prisoners of the fate of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators and of the legitimacy of royal authority. Later descriptions of the room also suggest that it may have contained wall paintings showing people being tortured. If this was so then this sculpture of James VI and I was part of an extraordinary and unique ensemble of objects and paintings that were created in the early 17th century to support the judicial power of the State.