Author: Gavin Duffy

2025 marks the 400 year anniversary of the death of perhaps the key monarch in British history. King James VI in Scotland, and James I in England, is well attested for being the monarch to reign over the whole island of Britain, paving the way for the Act of Union in 1707. 

The occasion has been marked very well in Britain with a number of publications about the Monarch and his life. Clare Jackson’s The mirror of Great Britain, due to be published in August, will join a number of titles such as Courtney and Questier’s, James VI and I, Kingship, Government, and Religion, andGareth Russel’s Queen James, among others. 

2025’s Jacobimania has also been supplemented with a paid exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, The World of King James VI and I. This exhibition is a small tour de force and takes the visitor on a wide glimpse of James’ life, from his infancy to his reign over two kingdoms. The exhibition houses many portraits and personal items of James, which take the visitor into his mind and personality, giving a more personal view into the life of James and his connections and social relations over the years.

The move through the exhibition is chronological, starting from his boyhood days in Scotland where his family and background are discussed. A further look into his personality is given, including his education at the hands of the eminent humanistic scholar and man of Latin letters, George Buchanan. James’ penchant for the likes of falconry and poetry are also discussed here, beside his better known intellectual pursuits, which is a welcome addition to the exhibition. The work of those he patronised, notably the Scottish renaissance authors, known as the Castalian Band by modern scholars, is displayed alongside James’ own poetical writings. 

This section of the exhibition, which is supplemented by a grand selection of portraiture of James and various members of his circles throughout the era, moves on to his ascension to the English throne. The exhibition then truly becomes one for lovers of art and artefacts, as many Jacobean relics are displayed for the public, giving an insight into the riches that James and his family now enjoyed at the court in London. Much attention is given to the material culture of the Jacobean court, with many items such as portraits, clothes, coins, and other valuables on display. The vast collection of jewellery that James and his wife Anne of Denmark owned is also noted, with individual items and Anne’s inventory of jewellery on display at the exhibition. 

One of the more interesting is the opportunity to smell a perfume called ‘Presence’, which was made as a recreation of Jacobean perfume base upon receipts to apothecaries to the royal household, giving visitors a chance to engage in the world of the Jacobean court in London in a more wholly sensory fashion. There are also the presentations of the clothes and fashions of the Jacobean court alongside information on James’ social relations, both personal and political. The mentions of various artists, diplomats, ambassadors, and other figures who he connected with in his time in Scotland and England are well represented. 

The exhibition takes a very intimate view of the Jacobean court, with passing mention of the turbulent world outside. The focus of the royal court takes precedence over the expanding influence of Britain, into America and India, which is not totally excluded. For instance, James’ famous disapproval of tobacco is mentioned, but perhaps the increased reaction of him and his family to his kingdoms’ expanding reach could be commented on more.

Nevertheless, the exhibition’s focus on showing the personalities and interests of James and his wife Anna through art and artefacts really shine through. Commentary is given to James’ desire to copy the Renaissance model of running a court, with expensive patronage of artists, writers, and crafts-makers in order to secure the Stuart dynasty’s prestige and cultural influence. This focuses on some figures that visitors to the museum might not recognise. While James’ patronage of Shakespeare’s acting company is noted, the spotlight is focused more on a wider variety of somewhat more obscure personalities from James’ time in both Scotland and in London.

Relics on display include a wide selection of manuscripts and coins, but also some larger and more notable pieces. The Pitfirrane Goblet, believed to have been drunk from on James’ initial journey to court in England, is on display. The very ornate glasswork features a detailed equine stem set by Venetian migrant glassmakers who had set themselves in the Netherlands, reflecting both a substantial Scottish trade network between Scotland and the Low Countries, and James’ own interest in importing Venetian expertise to build up local glass industry, both factors that the exhibit neglects to mention. 

Another example would be the Eglinton Jewel, which was a portrait of Anne of Denmark in an ornate case. The museum notes that these cases would have been handed out to favourites of the queen, showing a link between material culture and the royal patronage and political networks mentioned throughout the exhibition.

To summarise, though much of the content of the exhibition is introductory, there are unique artefacts that even those with a previously acquired knowledge of James’ life would find interesting to see in person. With a recent explosion of interest in the inner social worlds of royal dynasties such as the Tudors and Russian Romanovs, perhaps this exhibition will shed light on an even more transformative dynasty, who set the path for the foundation of Great Britain. However, this personal and intimate view takes the driver’s seat over the transformative political and religious sphere that was brewing and expanding its geographic reach, so the wider setting of James’ reign is given far less, not not no, air by comparison. 

The World of King James VI & I exhibition will run at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh until Sunday the 14th of September 2025.

Gavin Duffy graduated from Strathclyde University with an MSc in Historical Studies and has had a general thirst for knowledge from a very young age. His main passion turned towards history which led him to his degree and also his work in museums such as the David Livingstone Birthplace. He has a wide range of interests both academic and non-academic and has a strong belief in exploring the fullness of life and the world.