King Charles Royal Oak Tree
Robert Vaughan, Mid 18th C.

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King Charles II Royal Oak Tree
detail
Robert Vaughan (c. 1600-1664) (after)
King Charles Royal Oak Tree
London: Mid 18th Century
Black-and-white copperplate engraving
11 x 18 inches, sheet
10 x 16 inches, image
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King Charles I's (1600-1649) mismanagement of religious and economic affairs in England and Scotland forced a showdown with the English Parliament, which culminated in civil war and the king's execution on January 30, 1649. This engraving, originally created by Robert Vaughan c. 1651-60, is a sympathetic allegory of the aftermath of his death. A heavenly hand waters three branches that have sprung from the stump of an oak, a traditional symbol of renewal and a tree that would also become the symbol of Charles I's son, Charles II of Scotland, who tried to reclaim the throne in 1651 and according to legend, took shelter in the branches of an oak to escape the pursuing English army after his forces were defeated. The royal crown and scepter lay on the ground beside the stump, and an angel bearing a Biblical quotation hovers above. Below the picture is this hopeful quote from the Book of Job: "'There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and the branches there of will not cease though the root of it was old in the Earth, and the Stocke there of be Dead in the Ground: yet by the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.' Job 14: 7.8.9 Ver." Charles II escaped to exile in France, and after an 11-year period in which no monarch ruled England, was asked by Parliament to return in 1660 and become king; his return is perhaps alluded to by the second crown encircling one of the branches of the stump in this engraving.

Robert Vaughan was a Welsh-born line engraver, active in England. He produced portraits, maps, bookplates, series of prints and the occasional broadsheet. His portraits range from national heroes of recent history to influential contemporaries. A royalist supporter during the civil wars, Vaughan was indicted by the Commonwealth authorities for publishing a portrait print of the recently executed King, Charles I. Examples of his work are in the British Museum, London.

Reference:

"Charles I." Kings and Queens of the United Kingdom (from 1603). http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page76.asp (23 April 2002).

"Robert Vaughan." The Grove Dictionary of Art. New York: Macmillan. 2000. Online at Artnet.com. http://www.artnet.com/library/08/0883/T088302.asp (23 April 2002).