The Murder of David Rizzio

William Allan's Murder of David Rizzio from 1787 depicts the 1566 assassination of Mary Queen of Scots' Italian secretary by her husband Lord Darnley and a group of Protestant nobles in Holyrood Palace. The subject was popular with Romantic painters who saw in Mary's story a perfect combination of political intrigue, religious conflict, and personal tragedy. Allan's treatment established him as a painter of Scottish historical subjects, anticipating the broader Romantic movement's fascination with national history.

The dramatic interior scene deploys strong chiaroscuro to heighten the violence of the assassination. Allan's technique combines careful historical costume detail with theatrical lighting that creates the atmosphere of a dramatic historical moment.