It is unknown when exactly the brothers’ portraits were painted and whether they were originally conceived as a pair; stylistically they are dateable to the mid to late-1670s though it is recorded that Carrudus was paid 20 dollars in 1683 for a portrait of our subject – potentially our painting – so they likely date to between these years.[1] It seems most likely that our portrait of the young earl was commissioned to commemorate him being sworn into the Privy Council of Scotland in 1677. The artist has chosen an autumnal palette, a suitable colour scheme for a Scottish subject, which today balances the gilding of its period carved frame; itself a remarkable object as the delicate leaves that collectively pattern the frame’s edge have each been made by hand. Donned in a fashionable embroidered jacket, which is worn beneath a highly polished breastplate, the young William Douglas presents himself as a natural and able heir to one of the most highly esteemed Scottish noble families.

Other accessories worn by the bewigged Douglas include a white silk waist sash, fringed with gold thread; crimson belts and straps; and fringed brown suede gauntlet gloves, one of which has been removed to show the hilt of his sword. Behind him is an overcast landscape, featuring tall hills and bushy trees, at a moment likely to represent dawn. Whilst generic, moody backdrops were a common trope in mid-seventeenth century portraits, this might directly reference William’s recent assumption as the new Earl of Queensberry and could represent the dramatic Nith Valley in Douglas’s home county of Dumfriesshire.

William Douglas was the eldest son of James, 2nd Earl of Queensberry (1622 – 1671), and his second wife, Margaret Stewart (1620 – 1672), the daughter of the 1st Earl of Traquair. He succeeded the earldom upon his father’s death in 1671 and was officially sworn into the Privy Council of Scotland in 1677. Considering the Douglas family’s close ties with the Scottish court – going back to the early 14th century when James ‘the Black Douglas’ was a close confidant of Robert the Bruce – it seems likely that William Douglas deliberately positioned himself as close to the future king as possible; indeed, Queensberry House, his Edinburgh residence, is only a two-minute walk to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the Duke of York lived for several years before becoming king. After being appointed Lord Justice General of Scotland in 1681, Douglas attained further social advancements from the monarch, presumably because of the Duke of York’s recommendations, these included becoming the Lord High Treasurer for Scotland; Governor of Edinburgh Castle; and Duke of Queensberry in 1684.

When James VII & II assumed the throne in 1685, Douglas refused to support the new king’s attempts to reduce the powers of the established churches of Scotland and England but this appears to be one of only a few disagreements as Douglas was soon appointed the Lord President of the Privy Council in Scotland, an important role whereby he advised the king of all of governmental issues in the country. He likely realised that it would be untenable to support the king during the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and, thus, approved of William and Mary’s accession in 1689 to maintain royal favour for his family.

William married, in 1657, Lady Isabel Douglas (1642 – 1691), daughter of his kinsman William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas (1589 – 1660), and together they had four children: Lord George Douglas (1657 - 1693); James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry (1662 – 1711); William Douglas, 1st Earl of March (1670 – 1705); and Lady Anne Douglas, Countess of Wemyss (1680 - 1700). The 2nd Duke of Queensberry followed his father’s example by gaining prominent roles within the Scottish political system, culminating in his position as Secretary of State for Scotland, which saw him as one of the commissioners who signed the historic 1706 Treaty of Union (ratified the following year as the Acts of Union).

A few years after this portrait was painted William Douglas decided to build a majestic new family seat, Drumlanrig Castle, which was almost certainly inspired by the spirit of the recent renovations at the Scottish court. Rendered in local red sandstone, which has earned the castle its nickname as the ‘Pink Palace’, Drumlanrig remains one of the finest examples of late seventeenth century Renaissance architecture in Scotland.[2] The construction began in 1679 and the main building was completed by 1691; however, Douglas supposedly stayed in the castle for only one night and – perhaps because he was so irritated at the huge cost of the castle’s construction - refused to live in it, choosing instead to live between Sanquhar Castle and Queensberry House in Edinburgh, where he died in 1695.

Very little is known of the artist’s biography, though he appears to have been a native Scottish artist who might have trained under the equally enigmatic German portraitist L. Schuneman (fl. 1665 – 1675), who was one of several continental artists who capitalised on the restoration of the crown in Scotland. This influx has been attributed to the re-modelling of the Palace of Holyroodhouse during the 1670s by the architect Sir William Bruce following the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II. It was a conscious effort to refashion the historic Scottish court into a modern Baroque palace, celebrating the new king’s Scottish ancestry and his family’s enduring power within the kingdom. As with any court, it was a haven of cultural innovation and patronage so it was likely here where Schuneman and Carrudus were employed by the high-ranking Scottish nobility.

Little is documented about Schuneman’s background – indeed, his first name is not currently known, only its initial ‘L’ - though he was apparently born in Germany. His technique is so distinctive that his work can be easily recognised [Fig. 1], but his known oeuvre is limited (only a dozen works are ascribed to him); this could be because he seems to have been exclusively employed by the few members of the Scottish nobility who chose to remain in Scotland rather than those who pursued greater glories at the English court, where their portraits might have been painted by Sir Peter Lely (1618 – 1680) [Fig. 2].[3] Carrudus appears to have recycled some of Schuneman’s compositions and poses, and their works’ similar aesthetic effects – though Carrudus has a notably feathery brushwork - has meant that many of his portraits, including this painting, have been previously mis-attributed to Schuneman.

[1] Carrudus appears to have reused this composition, including the same armoured costume, embroidered jacket, and pose, on at least two other occasions [Figs. 4 & 5].

[2] Drumlanrig Castle now belongs to the 3rd Earl of Queensberry’s direct descendant, the 10th Duke of Buccleuch (and 12th Duke of Queensberry).

[3] When it was in the collection of the Earls of Rothes in Leslie House, our portrait hung between Lely’s portrait of the Duke of Lauderdale [Fig. 2] and Schuneman’s portrait of the Earl of Argyll (now both in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh).