Mary, Queen of Scots witnessing the murder of David Rizzio

Isaac Taylor, Jr.

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In a dramatic night-time scene, Mary Queen of Scots attempts to save her Italian musician Rizzio, who is being attacked by men sent by her husband Lord Darnley. The print won a gold medal and a premium of 10 guineas from the Society of Arts, London, in 1791 and reproduces a large oil painting by Opie, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1787. Alderman John Boydell bought the work, displayed it at the Shakespeare Gallery on Pall Mall from 1789 until 1793, then presented to the Corporation of London. It is now at the Guildhall Art Gallery.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art