PRESS RELEASE 31 October 2017 2018 Exhibitions and Displays Programme The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace Charles II: Art & Power The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace 8 December 2017 – 13 May 2018 After over a decade of austere Cromwellian rule, the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 led to a resurgence of the arts in England. The court of Charles II became the centre for artistic patronage and for the collecting of great works of art to decorate the royal apartments, to glorify the restored monarchy and to reinforce the position of Charles II as the rightful king. Including glittering silver-gilt used at the King's coronation, Old Master paintings, tapestries and silver-covered furniture, the exhibition presents the rich material world of Charles II's court and shows the role of the arts in the re-establishment of the Stuart monarchy. Tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk or T. +44 (0)303 123 7301 Enjoy two landmark exhibitions celebrating the role of art in Stuart court culture with a joint ticket to Charles I: King and Collector at the Royal Academy of Arts, an exhibition in partnership with Royal Collection Trust, and Charles II: Art & Power at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace. Joint tickets: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk Splendours of the Subcontinent: A Prince's Tour of India 1875–6 The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace 8 June – 14 October 2018 In October 1875, the Prince of Wales set off on a four-month tour of the Indian Subcontinent, visiting over 21 localities that today encompass India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal. The exhibition tells the story of this grand tour through the jewellery, gold and silverware and ceremonial arms presented to the future King Edward VII by local rulers as part of the traditional exchange of gifts. Splendours of the Subcontinent: A Prince's Tour of India 1875–6 is shown at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace with Splendours of the Subcontinent: Four Centuries of South Asian Paintings and Manuscripts. Tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk or T. +44 (0)303 123 7301 Press Office, Royal Collection Trust, York House, St James’s Palace, London SW1A 1BQ T. +44 (0)20 7839 1377, [email protected], www.royalcollection.org.uk Splendours of the Subcontinent: Four Centuries of South Asian Paintings and Manuscripts The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace 8 June – 14 October 2018 The Royal Collection contains some of the finest examples of South Asian paintings and manuscripts in the world. For the first time, highlights from the collection are brought together in an exhibition exploring the long-standing relationship between the British Crown and the area historically called India, now the independent states of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Including works of poetry, intimate portraits, images of court life, paintings inspired by contemporary literature and music, and vivid depictions of Hindu deities, the exhibition celebrates South Asian artistic traditions from Kashmir to Kerala. Splendours of the Subcontinent: Four Centuries of South Asian Paintings and Manuscripts is shown at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace with Splendours of the Subcontinent: A Prince's Tour of India 1875–6. Tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk or T. +44 (0)303 123 7301 Russia: Royalty & the Romanovs The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace 9 November 2018 – 28 April 2019 The exhibition tells the story of the familial, political, diplomatic and artistic associations between Britain and Russia and their royal families from the mid-16th century to two World Wars. The unique relationship between the two countries is explored through portraits, sculpture, photographs and archival documents. Many of the works of art were commissioned as diplomatic gifts, others as intimate personal mementos, including miniature masterpieces by Fabergé. Russia: Royalty & the Romanovs is shown at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace with Shadows of War: Roger Fenton's Photographs of the Crimea, 1855. Tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk or T. +44 (0)303 123 7301 Shadows of War: Roger Fenton's Photographs of the Crimea, 1855 The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace 9 November 2018 – 28 April 2019 Roger Fenton was already an accomplished and respected photographer when he was sent by the publishers Agnew's to photograph a war that pitched Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire as allies against Russia. Arriving several months after the major battles were fought in 1854, he focused on creating moving portraits of the troops and capturing the stark, empty battlefields on which so many lost their lives. Seen by the Victorian public in exhibitions across Britain in 1855 and 1856, Fenton's photographs showed the impact of war to the general public for the first time. Press Office, Royal Collection Trust, York House, St James’s Palace, London SW1A 1BQ T. +44 (0)20 7839 1377, [email protected], www.royalcollection.org.uk Shadows of War: Roger Fenton's Photographs of the Crimea, 1855 is shown at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace with Russia: Royalty & the Romanovs. Tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk or T. +44 (0)303 123 7301 The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse Splendours of the Subcontinent: A Prince's Tour of India 1875–6 The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse 15 December 2017 – 22 April 2018 In October 1875, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, set off on a four-month tour to over 21 localities that today encompass India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal. Travelling nearly 7,600 miles by land and 2,300 miles by sea, he met more than 90 rulers of the different regions he visited, establishing personal links and strengthening ties between the Subcontinent and the British Crown. The Prince recognised the great cultural value and artistic merit of the gifts he had received during his tour and on his return to Britain made arrangements for the items to be placed on public display. Entitled 'The Prince of Wales's India Collection', the exhibition toured Britain and Europe between 1876 and 1883 to allow as many people as possible to view the extraordinary examples of design and craftsmanship from the Subcontinent. Tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk or T. +44 (0)30 3123 7306 Canaletto & the Art of Venice The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse 11 May – 4 November 2018 Thanks to the young George III, the Royal Collection contains the world’s finest group of paintings, drawings and prints by Venice’s most famous view-painter, Canaletto. This exhibition brings together the best 18th-century Venetian art in the Collection, with Canaletto’s greatest works shown alongside paintings and drawings by his contemporaries, Sebastiano and Marco Ricci, Francesco Zuccarelli, Pietro Longhi and Giovanni Battista Piazzetta. Canaletto & the Art of Venice explores the many delights of the Italian city, from the splendours of the Grand Canal and St Mark’s Square to its festivals, theatre and masked carnival. Tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk or T. +44 (0)30 3123 7306 Charles II: Art & Power The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse 23 November 2018 – 2 June 2019 After over a decade of austere Cromwellian rule, the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 led to a resurgence of the arts in England. The court of Charles II became the centre for artistic Press Office, Royal Collection Trust, York House, St James’s Palace, London SW1A 1BQ T. +44 (0)20 7839 1377, [email protected], www.royalcollection.org.uk patronage and for the collecting of great works of art to decorate the royal apartments, to glorify the restored monarchy and to reinforce the position of Charles II as the rightful king. Including Old Master paintings, tapestries and silver-covered furniture, the exhibition presents the rich material world of Charles II's court and shows the role of the arts in the re- establishment of the Stuart monarchy. Tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk or T. +44 (0)30 3123 7306 Windsor Castle Christmas at Windsor Castle Windsor Castle 24 November 2017 – 5 January 2018 This year the Christmas display at Windsor marks the 20th anniversary of the restoration of the Castle following the devastating fire of November 1992. The State Apartments will be decked with gold decorations inspired by the highly skilled gilding work carried out to return the Castle to its former glory. The highlight of the display is the magnificent 20-foot-high Nordmann Fir Christmas tree in St George's Hall, taken from Windsor Great Park and covered in gold decorations. In the State Dining Room, the table will be laid with silver-gilt pieces from the spectacular Grand Service, commissioned by George IV and still used today by The Queen and her guests at State Banquets. Tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk or T. +44 (0)303 123 7304 Palace of Holyroodhouse Christmas at the Palace of Holyroodhouse Palace of Holyroodhouse 1 December 2017 – 5 January 2018 This year the festive decorations at Her Majesty's official residence in Scotland are inspired by the baroque architecture of the Palace, echoing the garlands of fruits and flowers on the famous 17th-century plasterwork ceilings. The Great Stair leading to the historic State Apartments will be draped with twinkling garlands and wreaths, while in the Great Gallery a 15-foot-high Christmas tree will be adorned with white and silver decorations. In the Royal Dining Room, the table will be decorated with flowers, wreaths and spires of faux candied sugared fruits, and laid with pieces from a silver service presented to King George V and Queen Mary in 1935 to mark their Silver Jubilee.