Anthony Van Dyck, Charles I with M. de St. Antoine, 1663. Now hanging in the Queen’s Ballroom at Windsor Castle. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021.
Work has recently finished on the transformation of the visitor route at Windsor Castle; at last it may now be enjoyed by the public. The project involved a considerable enhancement of the painting display. It is now possible to see the great Van Dycks painted for Charles I and the Renaissance masterpieces bought by him, within the magnificent Baroque interiors created by his son, Charles II.
This illustrated lecture by Desmond Shawe-Taylor, who held the post of Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures until last year, will introduce these riches and tell the story of how they came to hang at Windsor. It will show how the Castle developed from a venerable old pile to a sumptuous palace, with Old Master displays - a ‘Rubens Room’ and a ‘Van Dyck Room’ - to match the Lawrence portraits in the Waterloo Chamber. While concentrating on the patronage of the Stuarts, it will also explore the antiquarian spirit which prompted George IV and Queen Victoria to refashion the Castle as a modern Camelot.
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.