EDINBURGH - Marking the 400-year anniversary of King James’s death, this exhibition will chart his remarkable reign through stories of friendship, family, feuds and ambition. Son of Mary, Queen of Scots, successor to Elizabeth I, King James (1566–1625) was the first monarch to rule over Scotland, England and Ireland.

Drawing on themes with contemporary relevance including national identity, queer history, belief and spirituality, The World of King James VI and I is an enriching journey through the complex life of a King who changed the shape of the United Kingdom. Over 140 objects will be on display, including ornate paintings, dazzling jewels, lavish designs and important loans from galleries across the UK, celebrating craft and visual art from the 16th and 17th centuries.

From Sat 26 Apr 2025 - Sun 14 Sep 2025

Unknown, James VI and I (1566-1625) King of Scotland 1567-1625. King of England and Ireland 1603-1625 (As a boy), About 1574. Oil on panel, 45.70 x 30.60 cm; Framed: 80.00 x 59.50 x 13.50 cm. Purchased 1925. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 992. Photo National Galleries of Scotland

James VI was crowned King of Scots when he was still a baby, after the forced abdication of his mother, Mar Queen of Scots. Before he assumed personal rule, Scotland (and the young king) were in the control of various warring factions of nobility. Still a child in this portrait, James is dressed, like a miniature adult, for hunting, with a sparrow hawk perched on his gloved left hand.

Unknown, Esther Inglis (1569-1624) Calligrapher and miniaturist, 1595. Oil on panel, 93 x 81 cm. Gifted by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 2009. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 3556. Photo National Galleries of Scotland

Esther Inglis, daughter of a French immigrant, was a celebrated calligrapher. She produced exquisitely illuminated documents and little books, illustrated with flowers not unlike the honeysuckle and the pink in the corner of the picture. Painted at about the time of her marriage, Esther wears a necklace composed of several strands of tiny beads and on her left hand she has three rings. One has an amber-coloured stone in a conventional quatrefoil bezel. On her small finger is a plain double hoop and her thumb has another double hoop. This might have been her wedding ring, which some ladies of the period wore on the thumb, but the details are not distinct enough to show conclusively that it was.

John de Critz, James VI and I (1566-1625). King of Scotland (1567-1625) King of England and Ireland (1603-1625), 1604. Oil on canvas, 82.90 x 61.90 cm. Bequeathed by Sir James Naesmyth 1897, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 561. Courtesy of the Collection of the Buchanan Society

This portrait shows James VI of Scotland after he had acceded to the English throne on Queen Elizabeth's death and moved down to London. The jewel on his hat, known as the Mirror of Great Britain, was commissioned to commemorate the union of the Scottish and English crowns in 1603. One of the diamonds had been a gift to Mary, Queen of Scots, from her father-in-law, the King of France. This painting is based on one of De Critz's official, full-length portraits of the king. James disliked sitting for his picture and there are few portraits of him from the life.

John de Critz, Anna of Denmark (1574 - 1619) Queen Consort of James VI and I, 1605. Oil on panel, 48.50 x 39.20 x 1.20 cm; Framed: 56.60 x 47.30 x 6.30 cm. Purchased 2019, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 3800. Photo National Galleries of Scotland.

The Danish Princess Anna (Anne is the anglicized version of her name) married James VI in 1589. Her ceremonial entry into Edinburgh on 19 May 1590 was a great spectacle and thousands flooded the streets to catch a glimpse of the new Queen. Travelling through the city by horse and coach, the procession was led by a group of young local men who were dressed to resemble ‘Moors’ – a term often used to describe African people in this period. At the head of the group was an African man, possibly one of Anna’s servants. John de Critz was the official painter to the royal couple following James’s accession to the English throne in 1603. In this portrait the artist has depicted the richness of Anna’s clothing and jewellery. She was particularly fond of pearls and there are hundreds of references to both Scottish freshwater and oriental pearls in her wardrobe inventories.

Nicholas Hilliard (English, 1547-1619), James VI and I (1566-1625). King of Scotland (1567-1625) King of England and Ireland (1603-1625), About 1609. Watercolour on vellum, gold, enamel. Oval: 5.20 x 4.30 cm. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PGL 153. Courtesy of the Collection of the Buchanan Society

King James was the only child of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her second husband, Lord Darnley. This beautiful miniature shows him in an immaculately pale winged doublet and lace-edged standing collar, with the badge and blue sash of the Order of the Garter around his neck. Hilliard painted after James had inherited the throne of England from his mother's cousin, Elizabeth I, and moved to London, having ruled Scotland shrewdly and successfully for many years.

Unknown, James VI and I (1566-1625). King of Scotland (1567-1625) King of England and Ireland (1603-1625), 1595. Oil on panel, 72.90 x 62.30 cm; Framed: 85.30 x 72.00 x 6.90 cm / 12.00 kg. Purchased 188., Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 156. Photo National Galleries of Scotland

Unknown, Sir David Murray of Gorthy (1567-1629) Poet. Dated 1603. Oil on canvas, 54.10 x 43.80 cm; Framed: 71.70 x 60.20 x 9.70 cm. David Laing bequest to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Gifted in 2009. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 3538. Photo National Galleries of Scotland.

The royal household provided employment and ceremonial roles for a huge number of people in Scotland and England. In 1599 the king appointed Sir David Murray as one of Prince Henry’s (James’s son and heir) Gentlemen of the Bedchamber. In this role Murray had close access to the prince. As well as providing practical support with tasks such as dressing, the gentlemen provided security and companionship. Murray’s next role was, surprisingly, considered one of the most prestigious and intimate of positions — Groom of the Stool. As the title suggests the groom assisted the prince with personal hygiene and matters relating to bodily functions.

Portrait by the Studio of Nicholas Hilliard (1547–1619), case by George Heriot (1563–1624), Anna of Denmark, ‘The Eglinton Jewel’, About 1610, miniature - watercolour and body colour with gold and silver on vellum, laid on a playing card. Case - gold, enamel and diamonds. Photograph © The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge.

Waistcoat embroidered with coloured silk and metal thread, with pink ribbon ties, about 1610. Maker Unknown. Fashion Museum Bath

Unknown, Henry, Prince of Wales (1594 - 1612), Eldest son of James VI and I, About 1612. Gold, 2.80 cm (diameter). Purchased 1990. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 2806. Photo National Galleries of Scotland

Unknown, Mary, Queen of Scots (1542 587. Reigned 1542-1567), About 1610-1615. Oil on canvas, 201.50 x 95.70 cm; Framed: 224.80 x 119.80 x 10.00 cm. Purchased 1925. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 1073. Photo National Galleries of Scotland.

This image of Mary Queen of Scots dates from more than twenty years after her execution in 1587. The artist has based Mary's features on a miniature painted during her imprisonment in England. This type of portrait is associated with the efforts of Mary's son, James VI and I, to rehabilitate his mother's reputation. She wears a crucifix and a rosary hangs from her belt, decorated with a scene showing Susanna and the Elders. This Old Testament story tells how Susanna was condemned to death on false accusations but was found innocent and saved.

Adam de Colone, George Seton, 8th Lord Seton and 3rd Earl of Winton (1584-1650) Royalist, 1625. Oil on canvas, 113 x 83.80 cm; Framed: 137 x 106.80 x 9.50 cm. Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery 2010. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 3656. Photo National Galleries of Scotland.

This tender and beautifully painted portrait celebrates the family of one of de Colone’s most significant Scottish patrons, George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton. Winton, a prominent royalist, was a crucial figure in establishing de Colone’s identity and career in Scotland. Between 10 February and 29 July 1628, Winton recorded payments in his accounts to ‘Adame the painter’ for a number of portraits, including £40 for his own portrait. This painting made in 1625 appears to be an earlier example of Winton’s patronage of the artist. The sumptuous tones of the lavish costumes and delicate painting techniques used for the flesh of the faces were fully revealed during a recent conservation treatment. The treatment carried out in the National Galleries of Scotland conservation studio was filmed and can be viewed at the end of the exhibition.

Unknown, Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia (1596 - 1662), Daughter of James VI and I, About 1628. Oil on panel, 66 x 55.90 cm; Framed: 100 x 88.50 x 6.10 cm. Presented by Arthur W. Brown 1917. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 1073. Photo National Galleries of Scotland.

James VI and I's only daughter was named after her god-mother, Queen Elizabeth I of England. She married a German prince, Frederick V, the Elector Palatine. In October 1619 the Protestants of Bohemia chose him as their king. From the start, their enemies called them the Winter King and Queen, correctly predicting that their rule would be short-lived. Surrounded by hostile Catholic neighbours, Frederick was defeated at the Battle of the White Mountain in November 1620 and the couple fled from Prague. This portrait was painted in The Hague, where Frederick and Elizabeth lived in exile.

John Scougall (1645–1730), John Erskine (1st Earl of Mar, d. 1572. Regent of Scotland), After 1660. Oil on canvas, 60.4 x 73.5 cm (unframed). Purchased 1906. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PG 653. Photo National Galleries of Scotland

Willie Rodger (1930-2018), James VI and I (1566-1625). King of Scotland (1567-1625) King of England and Ireland (1603-1625), 1978. Screenprint on paper. Provenance unknown, probably gifted by the artist, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, UP J 267. © Willie Rodger, All Rights Reserved, 2017/Bridgeman Images