Poor David Rizzio (pictured, with mandolin). He had the misfortune to serve as the secretary to Mary Stuart, also known as Mary, Queen of Scots. That he was Italian, Catholic and quite possibly her lover didn’t help matters.
Stuart’s husband (and also her first cousin) Henry Stewart Lord Darnley took offense at one or all of these traits and murdered him on March 9, 1566. That this was done in front of Stuart probably didn’t do much for the marriage. To wit: Darnley was murdered soon after.
The key takeaway from this passion play is that our contemporary soap operas can’t hold a candle to British history. These people played rough!
This striking chromolithograph depicts Stuart first encountering Rizzio, while in the background two ladies of the court exchange confidences as another man, resplendent in his Elizabethan collar, looks on. Chromolithography was an early means to reproduce paintings that became popular after the 1840s. While chromolithographs were reproductions, they were collected and treated as fine art by their owners, and today are relatively rare due to deterioration from acid mattes and frames.
This print is in fine condition for its age, measuring approximately 51″ by 42″ and handsomely framed with original glass. $295.
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