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KristinaGehrmann — TheExecution of Lady Jane Grey
Published: 2011-09-26 13:41:36 +0000 UTC; Views: 122451; Favourites: 2068; Downloads: 42
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Description
In the Tudor era (and probably in the Middle Ages too) it was customary for the executioner to ask the condemned's forgiveness. It was supposed to show that he held no malice towards the victim; that he was only an extension of the law doing his job. By granting forgiveness the condemned also had a chance of showing magnanimity in the face of death, thus leaving a good impression on the spectators.Lady Jane Grey forgave her executioner, as did Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard before her.
Who was Lady Jane Grey? She was designated queen by young king Edward Seymour (the son and successor of Henry VIII, as you remember).
But when he died in 1553, she managed to be queen for only about 2 weeks, because Henry's daughter Mary Tudor had many supporters and so became queen the same year.
The 17 year old Lady Jane Grey, though she didn't plot against Queen Mary herself, became a symbol of resistance and Protestantism and so became dangerous to the Catholic politics of Mary. Queen Mary had her executed for "high treason" in 1554.
You can read the entire story on Wikipedia here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Jan…
Even today historians aren't sure if she had a legitimate claim to the throne or not, so she's usually not included in a line-up of English regents.
Hmm. That's quite a lot of death scenes in my portfolio so far. Perhaps I should paint a birth some time...! Nevermind. The next painting, of course, is going to feature Mary Tudor ("the Catholic" or "Bloody Mary" depending on whose side you're on).
Photoshop and Wacom tablet as always, took about 30 hours or so. (Social life? What's that? XD)
Wood and brick wall textures snatched from cgtextures.com .
Screaming guy referenced from alastock - alastock.deviantart.com/art/sc…
Lady-in-waiting referenced from lockstock - lockstock.deviantart.com/art/T…
Special thanks to the folks on Conceptart.org for kicking my butt
WIP can be seen here: img196.imageshack.us/img196/34…
© Kristina Gehrmann
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Comments: 257
When ever I read Lady Janes story I feel really sorry for her she was so young and she just got caught between a rock and a hard place because of Mary who was such a tyrant.
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shes my favorite queen of England. A Queen who represented the Protestant democratic revolution against Catholic feudalism. A Queen who embodied republican revolt!
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I agree! She's very brave, and also interesting to read about!
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beautiful yet so tragic! I love Tudor History
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Jane Grey did have a claim to the throne, albeit a very small one, her grandmother being Henry VIIIs sister Mary and her grandfather being Charles Brandon: Duke of Suffolk.
The Poor girl is known to a lot of people as "the 9 day queen" as she was quickly arrested by Mary's loyal supporters who longed to have a catholic ruler once again after so many years of unrest during the reformation etc etc.
@english Autumn... Anne was the only one beheaded using a sword. The swordsman was Jean Rombaud from Saint Omer in France.... and Anne didnt actually request it, in fact.. he was already on his way before Annes trial even commenced.
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Mary I was known as "Bloody Mary" because of the violent executions of Protestants, traitors, and many other innocents under her rule. And Lady Jane Grey's execution was a terrible thing to happen. That poor woman.
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wow ! It's so intense..! So sad !
It's a wonderful painting !
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Ive looked through all of your tudor/medieval portraits of females and I was going to suggest you did this one, and then i found it, so I was very happy 
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Oddly, they call her Jane in 3 yet in the original they claimed her name was Elvira. And if you do the right quest and listen real carefully, they call her "Brianne". You'd think Lionhead would at least remember her first name.
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they call her "Brianne" in 2
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crap, I posted the wrong thing, this is what I get for checking out 8 things at once, sorry, this was meant for a video game. But this is awesome! It really is. I just wish I could keep my comments together.
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1 This is greatReminds me of Delaroche''s painting.
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I used to watch the serie called 'The Tudors' on television, but that ended when King Henry died. This looks amazing!
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I watched a movie about this last week! It was called Elizabeth.
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What a brilliant painting.
Little historical note, Lady Jane Grey was executed with an axe not a sword. I think Anne Boleyn was the only one executed with a sword as she actually requested it. But what does it matter it's still a good piece of art.
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She is one of my favorite people in history. You did such a beautiful job capturing her in art. Her story is so tragic! The details you have done are so fantastic! YOu have done amazing!
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wow, your lighting is phenomenal!! where did you acquire such skills!!!
i must figure out this witchery
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Your art is wonderful. The style reminds me the Rennaicence paintings (although better). Here, what I like most is the man with the spear on left, and the overly excited woman screaming bloody murder XD
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Well done. It reminds me very much of the Delaroche painting. With the Delaroche, as here, it's more about the feeling and dramatic imagery than the actual history (Jane wore black, and was beheaded with an axe).
The only other thing I would add here is that Jane was blindfolded, which is the other famous thing about her execution (apart from her age). Imagining a seventeen-year-old, so intent on dying bravely yet trying to blindly feel around for the block is what makes the entire scene even sadder.
Apart from the missing historical details, this is a beautiful piece of a tragic story. Great job!
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It is my pleasure to feature this amazing artwork in my journal "New Features for November 2011" [link] If you wish it to be removed, please note me and I shall do so.
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Love all the emotion in this one! The apathetic flag-bearer..defeated Lady Jane...the angry old woman in the crowd, and even the curious children. Just wonderful!
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I really like your work, so I featured you on 's blog.
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Beautiful work..this is truly outstanding.
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you did a wonderful job depicting this tragic scene.
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Your series of Tudor Queen's is fantastic, although this one is my favorite so far. I love the contrast between the screaming crowd below and the somber mood on the scaffold. I'm guessing you chose to dress her in white as a symbol of her innocence? One tiny detail, wouldn't she have been beheaded with the axe rather than a sword?
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Thank you
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always felt bad for her. Still you did a wonderful job
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Amazing. Beautiful lighting and detail. Her expression and posture really capture the mood. Well done.
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I saw the movie and I cried. Your work is very well done.
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Oooooh this is just wicked! The old lady yelling in the front is epic. All around great work!
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This is amazing, And I just LOVE the old woman..she's like "Take that bitch!" while everyone else is sad
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Brilliantly done! I've recently read The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir and suddenly I came across your deviantart! Coincidence? Certainly not. I simply adore looking at your work of the Tudors.
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Astoundingly superb job. The quality and details on here are exquisite. Bravo. I especially like your brief explanation and history in your Artist's comments. By far this is exceptional work. The time and effort you put into this truly show.
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Really nice, classical style and execution. Well done.
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Very good and touching job. The peasant's indignant gesture is quite eloquent.
Personally I think Mary Tudor had nothing against Lady Jane, who in fact - besides Edward' indication - had been manipulated both by her husband and his uncle (they also were put to death); she didn't really wanted to be a queen. But Mary realized to make an example of her just for the reason you mentioned above. Things of politics...
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