Johan Joseph Zoffany, The Tribuna of the Uffizi 1772-77. Royal Collection Trust.
Join Desmond Shawe-Taylor, who held the post of Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures at the Royal Collection Trust until 2020, for a dynamic study morning on the Grand Tour. The title of this two lecture course refers to the two British monarchies during the period 1688 to 1788, one in London and the other (from 1719) in Rome. The Grand Tour, arguably the most important cultural phenomenon of the 18th-century, took place against the background of this dynastic rivalry.
Study morning - includes two lectures, Q&A and a short break. Tickets £20
Part One:
The first lecture will deal with the Hanoverian perspective, covering Florence and Venice, and other parts of northern Italy more sympathetic to the London government. Though unable himself to visit Italy, George III acquired an incomparable collection of Grand Tour material. This included bulk purchases of drawings from Cardinal Albani and paintings from Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice, who had commissioned numerous works by Canaletto.
Part Two:
The second lecture will cover Rome, the home of the Stuart claimants, and Southern Italy in general. It will concentrate on aspects of the Grand Tour less well represented in the Royal Collection: archaeology and topographical landscape. An international community of amateurs and artists working in Rome, and venturing throughout the Mediterranean, transformed the language of art. Neo-Classicism was born from a scholarly understanding of Greek art and architecture; at the same time topographical watercolours exhibit a new spirit of scientific rigor. In the last years of the 18th century the armies of the French Revolution conquered Italy, bringing ideas to challenge both monarchies.
Proceeds from our ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live, or on-demand for three weeks afterwards. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends.