John de Critz, who painted the original of this portrait , was James's 'Serjeant Painter', with special responsibility for producing portraits of the king on all scales. The artist of our portrait was likely a member of de Critz’s workshop, who was charged with making high-quality replicas of the original for dispersal to nobleman and other heads of state by way of a diplomatic gift from the king’s court. These replicas, which generally date between 1604 and 1610, were particularly valuable as the king famously disliked sitting for his portrait, and they could be subtly varied; sometimes they show the king at a different age (National Portrait Gallery, London) and others display different jewels and costumes (The Schorr Collection).

The king is shown wearing the prestigious Order of the Garter, the most noble chivalric order in Britain, as well as a large jewel pinned to his hat. The king attached great symbolic importance to what he wore and this hat jewel, which is a setting of three diamonds and one huge ruby, was commissioned by him in 1604 to commemorate uniting the kingdoms of Scotland and England, calling it “the Mirror of Great Britain”. The original commission for de Critz, from which our portrait derives, was likely painted to commemorate the union of the crowns.

One of the faceted lozenge-shaped diamonds featured within the “Mirror” had once been set in “the Great Harry”, a highly precious jewel that was likely gifted by Henri II of France to Mary, Queen of Scots upon her marriage to his son, Francis II. Another great diamond known as the “Sancy” diamond also hangs as a pendant. The original portrait by John de Critz might have been commissioned to commemorate the creation of this important royal jewel. Unfortunately, the “Mirror” was broken into separate elements and pawned off by Charles I to raise funds for the crown in 1625. The only surviving element, the Sancy diamond, is now in the collection of the Louvre.

This portrait was gifted to The Worshipful Company of Musicians in London in 1929 by its former Treasurer, the violin maker Arthur F. Hill F.S.A. Originally a specialist guild for musicians, the Musicians’ guild received a Royal Charter by James I in 1604, transforming it into the Worshipful Company of Musicians, with the influence and prestige of other City livery companies. It was granted control over all music-making in and within three miles of London, except for Westminster and Southwark.