 The statue is executed in bronze and depicts James II as a Roman emperor . He is shown standing in a contrapposto pose and pointing downwards in " great ease of attitude and a certain serenity of air " , as Allan Cunningham described it . It formerly held a baton in its right hand , though this is now missing . The face is said to be an excellent depiction of the king . Unusually for the time , Gibbons sought a degree of fidelity to original classical styles ; James is depicted wearing a laurel wreath on top of short hair , whereas other imperial @-@ style statues of both Charles II and James II depicted the two kings with an anachronistic combination of Roman armour and a 17th @-@ century periwig . The statue was probably inspired by similar imperial portrayals of Louis XIV of France . One in particular , a colossal statue by Martin Desjardins of Louis XIV wearing Roman armour with a laurel wreath and baton , is so similar in type to the figures of Charles II and James II that it may have been their direct inspiration . 
