An etching of an equestrian monument to James II: full length, on a pedestal bearing an inscription. Mounted on a rearing horse, James wears a wig, a laurel wreath, armour and a sash. With a plain mountainous landscape in the background. The inscription below records the fate of the monument. First state, later altered to William III, see RCIN 603166. Borders trimmed.

Although his reign was brief, an equestrian statue of James II was erected at the instigation of the Mayor of Newcastle, and the King's Statuary, William Larson, was commissioned in 1686 under the direction of Sir Christopher Wren. The finished monument was erected in 1688, only to be dumped into the Tyne a few months later when the king was deposed.

Following the Glorious Revolution the copper plate from which this etching was produced was reworked; James II's name on the pedestal was altered to that of William III, and references to the Newcastle patrons were erased.

Text adapted from Charles II: Art & Power, London, 2017