The Bronze Emperor of Trafalgar Square

The statue in question is a bronze creation, portraying James II as a Roman emperor, stationed in the National Gallery's front garden in Trafalgar Square, London. While produced in the workshop of Grinling Gibbons, the execution was most likely the work of the Flemish sculptors Peter van Dievoet from Brussels and Laurens van der Meulen from Mechlin, rather than Gibbons himself. Commissioned in the 1670s and '80s, it was initially positioned in the grounds of the Palace of Whitehall in 1686, just two years prior to James II's fall from power. It has been relocated several times since then.

The statue is one of three commissions from the royal servant Tobias Rustat from Grinling Gibbons's workshop. The others are an equestrian sculpture of James's brother and predecessor Charles II, residing at Windsor Castle, and a standing figure at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. The statue of James II was commissioned for the Palace of Whitehall, apparently at the same time as the standing Charles II, and the two works might have been intended as pendant pieces. It was produced at a reported cost of £300, equivalent to about £42,000 at 2014 prices.

Executed in bronze, the statue shows James II standing in a contrapposto pose, exhibiting "great ease of attitude" and a certain serenity of air. However, his right hand, originally holding a baton, is now missing. The sculptor sought a degree of fidelity to original classical styles; James is depicted wearing a laurel wreath on top of short hair, whereas other imperial-style statues of both Charles II and James II depicted the two kings with an anachronistic combination of Roman armour and a 17th-century periwig.

Inscribed on its plinth, the statue bears the legend JACOBUS SECUNDUS/ DEI GRATIA/ ANGLIÆ SCOTIÆ/ FRANCIÆ ET/ HIBERNIÆ/ REX/ FIDEI DEFENSOR/ ANNO M.D.C.LXXXVI, which translates to: "James II, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland. Defender of the Faith. 1686."

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons