Lot 111: John Faber (the Elder) (Dutch, 1650-1721) James I and VI (1566-1625), King of England (1603-1625) and Scotland (1567-1625), wearing ermine trimmed brocade robe over doublet, lace ruff, brimmed hat dressed with ostrich plume and the 'feather' jewel,

James I and VI (1566-1625), King of England (1603-1625) and Scotland (1567-1625), wearing ermine trimmed brocade robe over doublet, lace ruff, brimmed hat dressed with ostrich plume and the 'feather' jewel, the badge of the Order of the Garter suspended on a ribbon about his neck.
Indian ink on vellum, signed on the obverse and dated J. Faber Delinυt 1706, rectangular gilded wood frame.
Oval, 123mm (4 13/16in) high

The present lot would appear to be the preliminary drawing for a mezzotint produced by Faber in the following year, 1707. The mezzotint, of which there are two examples in the National Portrait Gallery, London was published and sold initially by Faber himself and then by Thomas Taylor. According to the mezzotint, the prototype for the engraving and therefore the present lot was a portrait by Cornelius Johnson. James is depicted wearing the 'feather' jewel on the upturned brim of his hat. This was one of the legendary possessions of the Crown.

James Charles Stuart was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. In June 1567, Protestant rebels arrested Mary, imprisoned her in Loch Leven Castle and forced her to abdicate in favour of the infant James. He was formally crowned at the age of thirteen months as King James VI of Scotland on 29 July 1567. James married Anne of Denmark in November 1589 and the couple produced three children: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales; Elizabeth, later Queen of Bohemia; and Charles, the future King Charles I of England. Anne died before her husband in March 1619. Throughout his life James is though to have had love affairs with male courtiers, in particular Esmé Stewart, 6th Lord d'Aubigny (later 1st Duke of Lennox); Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset; and George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham.

From 1601, in the last years of Elizabeth I's life, certain English politicians, maintained a secret correspondence with James in order to prepare in advance for a smooth succession. In March 1603, with the Queen clearly dying, Robert Cecil sent James a draft proclamation of his accession to the English throne. Elizabeth died on 24 March, and James was proclaimed king in London later the same day.

Throughout his time as king, James was ambitious to build on the personal union of the crowns of Scotland and England to establish a permanent Union of the Crowns under one monarch, one parliament and one law, a plan which met opposition in both countries.

During the last year of James's life, he was often seriously ill, leaving him an increasingly peripheral figure, rarely able to visit London. In early 1625, James was plagued by severe attacks of arthritis, gout and fainting fits, and in March fell seriously ill with tertian ague and then suffered a stroke. James finally died on 27 March during a violent attack of dysentery, with The Duke of Buckingham at his bedside.