{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O121944"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O121944/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2007BP0880/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2007BP0880/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2007BP0880","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KC2584","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O121944/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O121944","accessionNumber":"1014-1886","objectType":"Oil painting","titles":[{"title":"Escape of Mary Queen of Scots from Loch Leven Castle, May 2, 1568","type":"popular title"}],"summaryDescription":"This painting, by the artist Thomas Danby, forms an example of the way in which titles of paintings can come to be changed throughout their history and how this can lead to very different ways in which the image is interpreted.\r\n\r\nAt some time since its original exhibition as 'An Escape' at the Royal Academy, London in 1864, the title of this painting came to be known as 'Escape of Mary Queen of Scots from Loch Leven Castle, May 2 1568' and by association has been thought to be an illustration to chapter thirty five of 'The Abbot', a novel by the writer Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). However, the building is not Leven Castle and the female figure in the boat bears no resemblance to the well-established nineteenth century image of Mary Queen of Scots who did not, either in fact or fiction, retain possession of the infant James VI while she was in captivity.\r\n\r\nThe scene is, however, clearly intended to be Scottish and in a more generalised sense does derive from the popularity in the nineteenth century of scenes from history as portrayed by Sir Walter Scott. The painting expresses a mood of nostalgia and regret for the passing of an older heroic order which is the keynote in Scott's view of history and was one of his most lasting contribution to the Victorians' view of the past.","physicalDescription":"Oil on canvas depicting in the centre, on a choppy sea, a boat being rowed to the right of the composition. In the boat are seven figures including a knight in chain-mail (standing), an elderly man, a young woman and a child. Sea and sky are tinged with hues of sunset; the sun is hidden by clouds on the right and the crescent moon hangs high in the sky, centre left. In the background on the left is a mountainous coast on a projection of which stands a castle with light shining in some of the windows and a suggestion of flames and smoke coming from the top of the building.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Danby, Thomas","id":"A17303"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"oil","id":"AAT14254"},{"text":"canvas","id":"AAT14078"}],"techniques":[{"text":"oil painting","id":"AAT178684"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Oil on canvas","categories":[{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"},{"text":"Scotland","id":"THES262877"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2007BP0880","2017KC2584"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"A","id":"THES304424"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"oil paintings","id":"AAT33799"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1864","earliest":"1864-01-01","latest":"1864-12-31"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Bequeathed by Joshua Dixon","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"35.5","unit":"in","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"estimate","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"59.5","unit":"in","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"estimate","note":""},{"dimension":"","value":"","unit":"","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Measurement taken at time of assessment prior to BH decant - Frame Dimensions (mm): H-1264 W-1874 D-92;\nPainting Dimensions (mm): not measured"}],"dimensionsNote":"Dimensions taken from <i>Summary catalogue of British Paintings</i>, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Signed and dated, 1864.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"Bequeathed by Joshua Dixon, 1885","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Oil on canvas, 'Escape of Mary Queen of Scots from Loch Leven Castle, May 2, 1568', Thomas Danby, 1864","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"boat","id":"AAT178749"},{"text":"castle","id":"AAT6891"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["1014-1886"],"accessionNumberNum":"1014","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1886,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-01-19","recordCreationDate":"2006-03-14","availableToBook":true}}