Considering the almost countless portraits of Queen Elizabeth that are known to exist, it is remarkable how very few actual repetitions there are among them. With other portraits of distinguished and popular characters the case is quite different, as they may be classified into so many groups in each of which the pictures are exactly alike.

The portrait which I have the honour of describing this evening, by favour of the Duke of Buccleuch and Lord Walter Scott, has the peculiarity of not standing alone. It possesses a very interesting counterpart at Westminster, in the Dean's library, where it is inserted in a panel over the fireplace. Being a fixture, there is unfortunately no possibility of its being brought hither for examination. Before, however, entering into a comparison of the two pictures, it may be well to consider some of the characteristics of the portrait before us.