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This portrait is generally known as the Blairs Memorial Portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots. It was commissioned by Elizabeth Curle, one of the Queen's ladies in waiting during the last eight years of her life, some 10 to 15 years after the Queen’s execution. Mary was executed in 1587 according to a warrant signed by her cousin, the English Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth had reason to suspect that Mary was guilty of treason against her. However, Mary went to her death believing that she was executed because of her adherence to her Catholic faith. As such, she was seen as a martyr within the Catholic community.