Cultural depictions of Charles II of England


Charles II of England has been portrayed many times.

Statues

Sir Robert Vyner, supplied the regalia for the restoration of Charles II, and was appointed as the King's goldsmith in 1661. He was as much a banker as a goldsmith, and was knighted for his services in 1661 and was Lord Mayor of London in 1674. To show his devotion to the king, Vyner purchased a statue made in Italy for the Polish ambassador in London. It depicted the general, later King John Sobieski on a horse trampling a Turk.
The ambassador could not afford to pay for it and Vyner bought it and had it altered to show Charles II trampling Cromwell. How much was altered is uncertain. Cromwell's image, barely altered from the original Turk, appears to be wearing a turban! The statue reflects the Restoration perception of Cromwell. It was unveiled the 29 October 1672 at Stocks-Market, Cornhill and was removed in 1736 to make way for the construction of the Mansion House and reerected forty years later at Newby Hall, North Yorkshire.
The statue was the subject of two satires, attributed to Andrew Marvell: A poem of the statue in Stocks-Market and A dialogue between two horses.
Other statues include those in London's Soho Square, St Mary's Square in Gloucester, Edinburgh's Parliament Square, at the Central Criminal Court in London, at Newmarket Racecourse and near the south portal of Lichfield Cathedral.

Literature

Charles has been portrayed on screen by:
On television, Charles has been portrayed by: