> The artist is unknown but the date of composition is given as 1580, which is several years before Mary was executed, so the transformation into a skull seems a little premature.
Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned by the English for about 19 years before her execution and was pretty unpopular in Scotland during that period. So it is entirely possible that her morphing into a skull was intentional.
Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned by the English for about 19 years before her execution and was pretty unpopular in Scotland during that period. So it is entirely possible that her morphing into a skull was intentional.