The Royal Collection of the
British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world.
Spread among 13 occupied and historic
royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
and overseen by the
Royal Collection Trust. The British monarch owns some of the collection in right of
the Crown
The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
and some as a private individual. It is made up of more than one million objects,
including 7,000 paintings, more than 150,000 works on paper, this including 30,000
watercolours and drawings, and about 450,000 photographs, as well as around 700,000 works of art, including tapestries, furniture, ceramics, textiles, carriages, weapons, armour, jewellery, clocks, musical instruments, tableware, plants, manuscripts, books, and sculptures.
Some of the buildings which house the collection, such as
Hampton Court Palace, are open to the public and not lived in by the royal family, whilst others, such as
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
and
Kensington Palace, are both residences and open to the public. The public
King's Gallery at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
in London was purpose-built in the mid-20th century to exhibit pieces from the collection on a rotating basis. There is a similar
art gallery next to the
Palace of Holyroodhouse in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, and a Drawings Gallery at
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
. The
Crown Jewels are on public display in the
Jewel House at the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
.
About 3,000 objects are on loan to museums throughout the world, and many others are lent on a temporary basis to exhibitions.
History
Few items from before
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
survive. The most important additions were made by
Charles I, a passionate collector of Italian paintings and a major patron of
van Dyck and other Flemish artists. He purchased the bulk of the
Gonzaga collection from the
Duchy of Mantua. The entire Royal Collection, which included 1,500 paintings and 500 statues,
was sold after
Charles's execution in 1649. The 'Sale of the Late King's Goods' at
Somerset House raised £185,000 for the
English Republic. Other items were given away in lieu of payment to settle the King's debts.
A number of pieces were recovered by
Charles II after the
Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and they form the basis for the collection today. The
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...
also presented Charles with the
Dutch Gift of 28 paintings, 12 sculptures, and a selection of furniture. He went on to buy many paintings and other works.
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
was mainly responsible for forming the collection's outstanding holdings of
Old Master drawings; large numbers of these, and many Venetian paintings including more than 40
Canalettos, joined the collection when he bought the collection of Joseph "
Consul Smith", which also included a large number of books. Many other drawings were bought from
Alessandro Albani, cardinal and art dealer in Rome.
George IV shared Charles I's enthusiasm for collecting, buying up large numbers of
Dutch Golden Age paintings and their Flemish contemporaries. Like other English collectors, he took advantage of the great quantities of French decorative art on the London market after the
French Revolution, and is mostly responsible for the collection's outstanding holdings of 18th-century French furniture and porcelain, especially
Sèvres. He also bought much contemporary English silver, and many recent and contemporary English paintings.
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
and her husband
Albert were keen collectors of contemporary and
old master paintings.
Many objects have been given from the collection to museums, especially by George III and Victoria and Albert. In particular, the
King's Library formed by George III with the assistance of his librarian
Frederick Augusta Barnard, consisting of 65,000 printed books, was given to the
British Museum
The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
and later transferred to the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
, where they remain as a distinct collection. He also donated the "Old Royal Library" of some 2,000 manuscripts, which are still segregated as the
Royal manuscripts. The core of this collection was the purchase by
James I of the related collections of
Humphrey Llwyd,
John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, and the
Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel.
[R. Brinley Jones, ‘ Llwyd, Humphrey (1527–1568)’, ]Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004 Prince Albert's will requested the donation of a number of mostly early paintings to the
National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...
, which Queen Victoria fulfilled.
Modern era
Throughout the reign of
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
(1952–2022), there were significant additions to the collection through judicious purchases, bequests, and gifts from nation states and official bodies. According to guidelines drawn up in 1995 and updated in 2003, gifts given to the royal family by foreign heads of state and dignitaries in an official capacity cannot be sold or traded and automatically become part of the Royal Collection. Since 1952, approximately 2,500 works have been added to the Royal Collection.
The
Commonwealth is strongly represented in this manner: an example is 75 contemporary Canadian
watercolours that entered the collection between 1985 and 2001 as a gift from the
Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. Modern art acquired by Elizabeth II includes pieces by Sir
Anish Kapoor,
Lucian Freud, and
Andy Warhol.
In 2002 it was revealed that 20 paintings (excluding works on paper) were acquired by the Queen in the first 50 years of her reign, mostly portraits of previous monarchs or their close relatives. Eight were purchased at auction, six bought from dealers, three commissioned, two donated or bequeathed, and one was a purchase from
Winchester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...
.
In 1987 a new department of the
Royal Household was established to oversee the Royal Collection, and it was financed by the commercial activities of Royal Collection Enterprises, a
limited company
In a limited company, the Legal liability, liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a c ...
. Before then, it was maintained using the monarch's official income paid by the
Civil List. Since 1993 the collection has been funded by entrance fees to Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.
Collection

A computerised inventory of the collection was started in early 1991, and it was completed in December 1997. The full inventory is not available to the public, though catalogues of parts of the collection – especially paintings – have been published, and a searchable database on the Royal Collection website is increasingly comprehensive, with "271,697 items found" by late 2020.
About a third of the 7,000 paintings in the collection are on view or stored at buildings in London which fall under the remit of the
Historic Royal Palaces agency: the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
,
Hampton Court Palace,
Kensington Palace,
Banqueting House, Whitehall, and
Kew Palace. The
Jewel House and Martin Tower at the Tower of London also house the
Crown Jewels. A rotating selection of art, furniture, jewellery, and other items considered to be of the highest quality is shown at the
King's Gallery, a purpose-built exhibition centre adjoining
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
.
Many objects are displayed in the palace itself, the state rooms of which are open to visitors for much of the year, as well as in
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
,
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...
in Edinburgh, the
Royal Pavilion in Brighton, and
Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Some works are on long-term or permanent loan to museums and other places; the most famous of these are the
Raphael Cartoons, in the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
in London since 1865.
Paintings, prints and drawings

The collection's holdings of Western fine art are among the largest and most important assemblages in existence, with works of the highest quality, and, in many cases, artists' oeuvres cannot be fully understood without a study of the holdings contained within the Royal Collection. There are more than 7,000 paintings, spread across the Royal residences and palaces. The collection does not claim to provide a comprehensive, chronological survey of Western fine art but it has been shaped by the individual tastes of kings, queens and their families over the past 500 years.
The prints and drawings collection is based in the
Print Room, Windsor, and is exceptionally strong, with famous holdings of drawings by
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...
(550),
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...
,
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...
and
Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; ; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a German-Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He ...
(85). A large part of the
Old Master drawings were acquired by George III. Starting in early 2019, 144 of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings from the Collection went on display in 12 locations in the UK. From May to October that year, 200 of the drawings were on display in the
Queen's Gallery at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
.
Furniture
Numbering more than 300 items, the Royal Collection holds one of the greatest and most important collections of French furniture ever assembled. The collection is noted for its encyclopedic range as well as counting the greatest cabinet-makers of the
Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for " ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
.
Sculpture and decorative arts
Costume

The collection has a number of items of clothing, including those worn by members of the Royal family, especially female members, some going back to the early 19th century. These include ceremonial dress and several wedding dresses, including that of Queen Victoria which set the trend for white wedding dresses (1840). There are also servant's livery uniforms, and a number of exotic pieces presented over the years, going back to a "war coat" of
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...
(d. 1799). In recent years these have featured more prominently in displays and exhibitions, and are popular with the public.
Gems and Jewels
A collection of 277
cameos,
intaglios, badges of insignia, snuff boxes and pieces of jewellery known as the Gems and Jewels are kept at Windsor Castle. Separate from
Elizabeth II's jewels and the Crown Jewels, 24 pre-date the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
and the rest were made in the 16th to 19th centuries. In 1862, it was first shown publicly at the South Kensington Museum, now the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
. Several objects were removed and others added in the second half of the Victorian period. An inventory of the collection was made in 1872, and a catalogue, ''Ancient and Modern Gems and Jewels in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen'', was published in 2008 by the Royal Collection Trust.
Ownership
The Royal Collection is privately owned, although some of the works are displayed in areas of palaces and other royal residences open to visitors for the public to enjoy. Some of the collection is owned by the monarch personally, and everything else is described as being held in trust by the monarch in right of
the Crown
The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
. It is understood that works of art acquired by monarchs up to the death of
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
in 1901 are
heirlooms which fall into the latter category. Items the
British royal family acquired later, including official gifts, can be added to that part of the collection by a monarch at their sole discretion. Ambiguity surrounds the status of objects that came into the possession of
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
during her 70-year reign.
[Morton, p. 156.] The
Royal Collection Trust has confirmed that all pieces left to her by
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, which included works by
Monet,
Nash, and
Fabergé, belonged to her personally. It was also confirmed that she owned the
royal stamp collection, inherited from her father George VI, as a private individual.
Non-personal items are said to be
inalienable as they can be willed to only the monarch's successor. The legal accuracy of this claim has never been substantiated in court.
[Paxman, p. 165.] According to
Cameron Cobbold, then
Lord Chamberlain, speaking in 1971, minor items have occasionally been sold to help raise money for acquisitions, and duplicates of items are given away as presents within the Commonwealth.
In 1995,
Iain Sproat, then
Secretary of State for National Heritage, told the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
that selling objects was "entirely a matter for the Queen". In a 2000 television interview, the
Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...
said that the monarch was "technically, perfectly at liberty to sell them".
Hypothetical questions have been asked in
Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
about what should happen to the collection if the UK ever becomes a
republic
A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
. In other European countries, the art collections of deposed monarchies usually have been taken into
state ownership
State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an Industry (economics), industry, asset, property, or Business, enterprise by the national government of a country or State (polity), state, or a publi ...
or become part of other national collections held in trust for the public's enjoyment. Under the
European Convention on Human Rights
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is a Supranational law, supranational convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Draf ...
, incorporated into British law in 1998, the monarch may have to be compensated for the loss of any assets held in right of the Crown unless he or she agreed to surrender them voluntarily.
Management
A registered charity, the Royal Collection Trust was set up in 1993 after the
Windsor Castle fire with a mandate to conserve the works and enhance the public's appreciation and understanding of art. It employs around 500 staff and is one of the five departments of the
Royal Household. Buildings do not come under its remit. In 2012, the team of curatorial staff numbered 29, and there were 32 conservationists. Income is raised by charging entrance fees to see the collection at various locations and selling books and merchandise to the public. The Trust is financially independent and receives no Government funding or public subsidy. A studio at
Marlborough House is responsible for the conservation of furniture and decorative objects.
Owing to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the Trust lost £64 million during 2020 and announced 130 redundancies, including the roles of
Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures and
Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art. The two posts were reinstated in December 2023.
The Royal Collection Trust is a
company limited by guarantee
A company limited by guarantee (CLG) is a type of company where the liability of members in the event the company is wound up is limited to a (typically very small) amount listed in the company's articles or constitution. Most have no share ca ...
, registered in England and Wales, and a
Registered Charity
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definitio ...
. On its website, the Trust describes its purpose as overseeing the "maintenance and conservation of the Royal Collection, subject to proper custodial control in the service of
the King and the nation". It also deals with acquisitions for the Royal Collection, and the display of the Royal Collection to the public.
Board of trustees
The Board of Trustees includes the following officers of the
Royal Household: the
Lord Chamberlain, the
Private Secretary to the Sovereign and the
Keeper of the Privy Purse
The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen (or Financial Secretary to the King/Queen) is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingd ...
. Other Trustees are appointed for their knowledge and expertise in areas relevant to the charity's activities. Currently, the trustees are:
*
James Leigh-Pemberton (Chairman)
*
Marc Bolland (Deputy Chairman)
*
Brian Ivory
*
Tony Johnstone-Burt
*
Anna Keay
*Tonya Nelson
*Monisha Shah
*
Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere (Lord Chamberlain)
*
Michael Stevens (Keeper of the Privy Purse)
*
Clive Alderton (Private Secretary to the Sovereign)
Management Board
The Management Board is the committee responsible for the day-to-day running of the Royal Collection. It is appointed by the Board of Trustees.
It consists of:
*
Tim Knox (
Director of the Royal Collection)
*Keith Harrison (Finance Director)
*Michelle Lockhart (Commercial Director)
Operations Board
The Operations Board represents all areas of the Royal Collection Trust and focuses on high-level, operational issues and the delivery of Royal Collection Trust’s strategy.
It consists of:
*Caroline de Guitaut, LVO, FSA (Surveyor of The King’s Works of Art)
*Anna Reynolds, MVO (Surveyor of The King’s Pictures)
*Stella Panayotova (Librarian and Assistant Keeper of The Royal Archives)
*Gwen Hamilton (Superintendent and Head of Visitor Operations – Palace of Holyroodhouse)
*Simon Maples (Head of Visitor Operations – London and Windsor)
*Ian Grant (Head of Central Retail)
*Olivia Clear (Senior People Partner)
Examples of the collection
File:Leonardo da Vinci - Studies of the foetus in the womb.jpg, Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...
, '' Studies of the Fetus in the Womb'', 1511
File:V&A - Raphael, St Paul Preaching in Athens (1515).jpg, Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...
, '' Saint Paul Preaching in Athens'', 1516 ''(on loan to the V&A)''
File:TITIAN; Portrait of Jacopo Sannazaro (1514-18).JPG, Titian
Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno.
Ti ...
, ''Portrait of Jacopo Sannazaro'', 1514–18
File:Lucas Cranach d.Ä. - Apollo und Diana.jpg, Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder ( ; – 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German ...
, ''Apollo and Diana'', c. 1526
File:Hans Holbein (II) - Sir Henry Guildford.jpg, Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; ; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a German-Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He ...
, ''Portrait of Sir Henry Guildford'', 1527
File:Hans Holbein the Younger - Derich Born (1510?-49) - Google Art Project.jpg, Hans Holbein the Younger, ''Portrait of Derich Born'', 1533
File:Titian (c.1488-Venice 1576) and Workshop - Madonna and Child in a Landscape with Tobias and the Angel - RCIN 402863 - Royal Collection.jpg, Titian
Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno.
Ti ...
, ''Madonna and Child in a Landscape with Tobias and the Angel'', 1535–1540
File:Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Massacre of the Innocents - Google Art Project.jpg, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, '' Massacre of the Innocents'', 1565–1567
File:Isaac Oliver - Young Man Seated under a Tree - Google Art Project.jpg, Isaac Oliver, ''Young Man Seated under a Tree'' (portrait miniature
A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting from Renaissance art, usually executed in gouache, Watercolor painting, watercolor, or Vitreous enamel, enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illumin ...
), c. 1590–1596
File:Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Milan 1571-Port' Ercole 1610) - The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew - RCIN 402824 - Hampton Court Palace.jpg, Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...
, '' The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew'', c. 1602–1604
File:Rubens Milkmaids cattle landscape.jpg, Peter Paul Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...
, ''Milkmaids with cattle in a landscape, 'The Farm at Laken, c. 1617–1618
File:Sir Peter Paul Rubens - Portrait of the Artist - Google Art Project.jpg, Peter Paul Rubens, ''Self-Portrait
Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...
'', 1623
File:Frans Hals - Portrait of a Man - Google Art Project (579097).jpg, Frans Hals, ''Portrait of a Man'', 1630
File:Orazio Gentileschi 002.jpg, Orazio Gentileschi, '' Joseph and Potiphar's Wife'', c. 1630–1632
File:Anthony van Dyck - Charles I (1600-49) with M. de St Antoine - Google Art Project.jpg, Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy.
The seventh child of ...
, '' Charles I with M. de St Antoine'', 1633
File:Rembrandt - The Shipbuilder and his Wife- Jan Rijcksen (1560-2-1637) and his Wife, Griet Jans - Google Art Project.jpg, Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...
, '' The Shipbuilder and his Wife'', 1633 ''(Jan Rijcksen (1560/2–1637) and his wife, Griet Jans)''
File:Sir Anthony Van Dyck - Charles I (1600-49) - Google Art Project.jpg, Anthony van Dyck, '' Charles I in Three Positions'', c. 1635–1636
File:Self-portrait as the Allegory of Painting (La Pittura) - Artemisia Gentileschi.jpg, Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia Lomi Gentileschi ( ; ; 8 July 1593) was an Italian Baroque painter. Gentileschi is considered among the most accomplished 17th century, 17th-century artists, initially working in the style of Caravaggio. She was producing professional ...
, '' Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting'', c. 1638–1639
File:Rembrandt Self-Portrait (Royal Collection).jpg, Rembrandt, '' Self-Portrait in a Flat Cap'', 1642
File:Bacino di San Marco nel giorno dell'Ascensione.jpg, Canaletto, ''The Bacino di San Marco on Ascension Day'', c. 1733–1734
File:Queen Charlotte - Gainsborough 1781.jpg, Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists o ...
, ''Queen Charlotte'', 1781
See also
*
Arts Council Collection
*
Crown Collection
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Government Art Collection
The Government Art Collection (GAC) is the collection of artworks owned by the UK government and administered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The GAC's artworks are used to decorate major government buildings in the UK and ...
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Parliamentary Art Collection
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Portland Collection
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Royal Philatelic Collection
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Wallace Collection
Notes
References
Bibliography
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*Lloyd, Christopher (1991), ''The Queen's Pictures, Royal Collectors through the centuries'', National Gallery Publications, .
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Further reading
General titles
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Paintings
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Exhibition catalogues
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External links
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YouTube channelVimeo channel
{{authority control
Art collections in the United Kingdom
British royal family
Material culture of royal courts
Private art collections