James, Duke of York, 1633-1701

Henri Gascar's portrait of James, Duke of York from 1672 depicts the future King James II in his capacity as Lord High Admiral. Gascar, a French painter who worked briefly at the English court, competed with Peter Lely for aristocratic portrait commissions in the early 1670s. His portrait of the Duke of York, who would become England's last Catholic king, captures a powerful figure at the height of his military and political influence before the religious controversies that would end his reign.

Gascar's French-trained technique brings a smoother, more polished finish to the English portrait tradition. The rendering of the Duke's armor and the formal pose demonstrate competent court portraiture in the international Baroque manner.