Rare paintings of the exiled Stuart dynasty could be brought 'home' to Scotland for the first time under ambitious plans by a small Highland museum.
Curators have been offered exclusive access to a private collection owned by the Pininski Foundation in Liechtenstein of the family that inspired the Jacobite cause.
It includes a recently rediscovered portrait of a 16-year-old Bonnie Prince Charlie, by renowned Venetian artist Rosalba Carriera, which is believed to be the only portrait of the prince that pre-dates the 1745 Jacobite Rising.
Others, such as a portrait of an elderly Prince Charles Edward Stuart by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, painted in Rome in 1786 were last displayed in Scotland in Glasgow, in 1910.
The West Highland Museum in Fort William hopes to stage a three-month exhibition next year to mark its centenary year.
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The planned show will include thirteen paintings of four generations of the Royal House of Stuart, including James VIII (the Old Pretender) and his wife Princess Clementina Sobieska, through to Prince Charles Edward Stuart, better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, and his daughter, Charlotte the Duchess of Albany.
The series of paintings ends with Charlotte’s daughter Princess Marie Victorie de Rohan.
The West Highland Museum needs to raise £25,000 to stage the exhibition and is hoping the public will get behind its newly launched crowdfunding campaign.
Museum Director, Chris Robinson said: "It will likely be the last time these iconic portraits will be displayed in the United Kingdom as they may soon be on permanent display at a European museum.
"We need your help in raising funds to make this happen and bring Bonnie Prince Charlie and the exiled Stuarts back to Scotland."
The Stuart family can be traced back to 11th-century Brittany, where for at least four generations they were stewards to the counts of Dol.
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In the early 12th century, the third son of the 4th steward of Dol, entered the service of David I, king of Scots, and was later appointed his steward.
Walter married Marjory, daughter of King Robert I (the Bruce), in 1315, and in 1371 their son Robert, as King Robert II, became the first Stewart king of Scotland.
The Stuart line was interrupted in 1649 by the establishment of the Commonwealth but was restored in 1660.
In total, nine Stuart monarchs ruled Scotland alone from 1371 until 1603, the last of which was James VI, before his accession in England.
The British crown passed to the house of Hanover in 1714. The first of their Kings, George I, was only 52nd in line to the throne, but the nearest Protestant according to the Act of Settlement.
Charles Edward Stuart led a failed attempt to re-instate the family to the throne, beginning with the 1745 rebellion in Lochaber.
Museum Curator Vanessa Martin said “The museum is world famous for its Jacobite exhibitions and has built up an important collection since the museum’s inception in 1922.
"The Jacobite Rising started here in Lochaber with Prince Charles Edward Stuart raising his father’s Standard at Glenfinnan on 19 August.
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"For our centenary we have been offered this wonderful opportunity by the Pininski Foundation to present a public exhibition of rarely displayed royal portraiture."
Broadcaster and Historian Paul Murton, from the BBC Scotland’s Grand Tours of Scotland series, is backing the campaign and hosts the campaign video.
Those who contribute to the campaign will be offered incentives including a guided tour of the exhibition with Edward Corp, Professor of British History at the University of Toulouse and art historian Peter Pininski.
Chair of Directors of the museum, Ian Peter MacDonald said:‘An exhibition of this calibre and local relevance will bring pride to our community and inspire enthusiasts from all over to come and visit our town.’
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