The Exhibition The King over the Water - The Life of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart 1688 - 1766

The Place Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street

The Blurb The King over the Water was the toast raised to Prince James by his Jacobite supporters.

While he was still an infant, his Catholic parents had to flee from London to France, because of Protestant support for William of Orange. After the death of his father most of Catholic Europe, and many supporters in Britain, acknowledged him as the rightful, King of England, Ireland and Scotland. Today he is known as The Old Pretender.

This exhibition follows his turbulent life, and many paintings are by some of the most famous portrait painters of the day. Often the Artists painted the children looking older than their actual years, for example, the portrait of "James Prince of Wales and Princess Louise- Marie" by Nicoles de Largilliere, portrays the children with mature little faces and adult costumes.

A new acquisition, the magnificent ten-foot painting "A View of Palazzo Muti" depicts the Jacobite palace in Rome surrounded by a bustling crowd including royals, courtiers and everyday people.

The enormous near life-size reconstruction of Canova's tomb, erected in Rome as a memorial to the last of the Stuarts, is the climax of this exhibition. To do the Exhibition justice, you need time to look and to absorb all the historical details. All the more reason to have a coffee at the very good "in-house" café afterwards!

The Time Mon, - Sat. 11a.m.- 5.30p.m, until 1 September

The Cost £3 (concs £2).