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Charles I (1600–1649)

Image credit: St Mary's Guildhall

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An unusual depiction of King Charles I, probably painted after a lost original. The painting would originally have been displayed at the Guildhall as a sign of loyalty to the reigning monarch, although King Charles I was famously refused entry to the Parliamentarian city during the English Civil War. For this act of defiance his heir, King Charles II, ordered the destruction of Coventry's city walls. In his right hand the King holds a scrolled Magna Carta, interpreted by some as a later, ironic addition. One imagines this painting being removed and stored away during the Civil War as a demonstration of Parliamentarian support, yet thankfully it was not destroyed and was likely to have been quickly retrieved at the Restoration.

St Mary’s Guildhall, Coventry

Coventry

Title

Charles I (1600–1649)

Date

1626

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 118 x W 97 cm

Accession number

VA.1950.0013

Acquisition method

commissioned, 1626

Work type

Painting

Inscription description

MAGNA CHART

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Normally on display at

St Mary’s Guildhall, Coventry

Bayley Lane, Coventry, West Midlands CV1 5RN England

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