George IV: Art and Spectacle

Sir Thomas Lawrence, George IV 1821 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

When George IV died in 1830, he was not widely mourned, thanks to his over-indulgence, womanising and extravagant spending at a time when the country was suffering from economic hardship and political turmoil. The Times obituary said “there was never an individual less regretted by his fellow creatures than this deceased King”. But there was another side to his character – that of a connoisseur with intellectual interests whose endless acquisitions made him one of the most important figures in the formation of the Royal Collection. This exhibition in the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace (below) brings together more than 300 of the treasures he collected.

George was living at a time when upheavals on the Continent following the French Revolution flooded the market with works of art. Although he never travelled beyond Europe, he spent freely and frequently, indulging his passions for 18^th-century French decorative arts, 17^th-century Dutch and Flemish painters and of course Asian porcelain and oriental decorations, many of which found their way to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. He transformed Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace and was also among the patrons of British artists of the day such as Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Lawrence and Richard Cosway. The Duke of Wellington described him as “the most munificent patron of the fine arts” and “the most accomplished man of his age”.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Shipbuilder and his Wife: Jan Rijcksen and his Wife, Griet Jans, 1633 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Among the many art works on display is his most expensive painting, Rembrandt’s The Shipbuilder and his Wife, which cost him 5,000 guineas. He also  managed to acquire a painting by Rubens of St George and the Dragon, which had belonged to Charles I but been sold off after his execution.

Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Landscape with St George and the Dragon, 1630-5 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The exhibition also showcases the most spectacular moment of George’s life – his coronation, which came at a cost of more than £240,000. He orchestrated the whole event, overseeing the design of his sumptuous coronation robes and staging a banquet that featured the Grand Service, a 4,000-piece collection of dining and buffet silver-gilt that is still used today at state banquets.

Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, The Diamond Diadem, 1820-1  Royal Collection Trust  (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Also on display is the glittering Diamond Diadem he commissioned for the occasion and wore in the procession to Westminster Abbey, atop a black velvet hat. It's remained a royal favourite, and appears in the image of Queen Elizabeth on postage stamps. She also wears it to the State Opening of Parliament.

Red and yellow feather cape ('ahu'ula), 1824 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Oposite the diadem is one of his most colourful coronation gifts – a red and yellow feather cape from the rulers of the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). Sadly, they both died of measles not long after their arrival in England, but the cloak was still presented.

Jane Austen, Emma: a novel in three volumes, 1816 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

George was also a voracious reader. His tastes ranged from geography and military history to the works of Jane Austen – he had a set of her works in each of his homes. (Although not a great fan, she was persuaded to dedicate Emma to him.)

Robert Seymour, The Great Joss and his Playthings, c.1829 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Many satirical prints and caricatures circulated during his lifetime, mocking his excesses in food, fashion and sex and surprisingly, he collected a number of them. One, The Great Joss and his Playthings, pokes fun at his interest in oriental style. Perhaps the most touching among the numerous portraits he comissioned of his family and friends is a delicate pencil and watercolour sketch by Richard Cosway of Maria Fitzherbert, “the wife of my heart and soul” whom he secretly married in 1785.

Maria Fitzherbert by Richard Cossway c.1789. Royal Collection Trust/ (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The wedding was illegal as his father had not given his consent. Later George was married to his cousin, Princess Caroline of Brunswick, but it was an acrimonious relationship and they soon separated, causing scandalous headlines. When he died in 1830 he was buried with a miniature portrait of Maria around his neck.

George IV: Art and Spectacle is at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, until May 3 2020.

Details at www.rct.uk

Russia: Royalty and the Romanovs

Sir Godfrey Kneller, Peter I, Tsar of Russia. Royal Collection Trust

This sumptuous new exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery covers some three hundred years during which Great Britain was linked to Russia's ruling Romanov dynasty through exploration and discovery, diplomatic alliances and family ties. It begins with a monumental portrait by Sir Geoffrey Kneller of Peter the Great, who in 1698 was the first Russian ruler to set foot on English soil. He stayed for three months at the home of diarist John Evelyn in Greenwich, using paintings as target practice and wheelbarrows as go-karts but in between soaking up knowledge about shipbuilding and navigation that enabled him to build a mighty Russian navy from scratch. This portrait (above) depicts him as a young and vibrant ruler, looking to the West and hoping to establish a new, ‘open’ Russia. When he left, he presented it to the King, William III, beginning a tradition of gift-giving and exchanges that continued through the centuries.

Franz Kruger Emperor Nicholas I 1796 - 1855. Royal Collection Trust

After the defeat of Napoleon by allied forces, including those of Britain and Russia, a steady stream of Russian emperors, empresses, grand dukes and grand duchesses were entertained in Britain. The future Emperor Nicholas I (above) visited in 1816 – 17 and was guest of honour at a banquet of more than 100 courses, hosted by the Prince Regent at the Brighton Pavilion.

After George Dawe, Princess Charlotte of Wales.  Royal Collection Trust

As a thank you, his mother, Empress Maria, sent the Prince Regent’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, the insignia of the order of St Catherine, the most prestigious award for women in Imperial Russia, and she was painted wearing it on a Russian-style dress (above). Later, two daughters of King Christian X of Denmark married into the Russian and British royal families, creating a close familial link.

Laurits Regner Tuxen, The Marriage of Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia. Royal Collection Trust

This bond was strengthened by a number of marriages. One of the rooms in this exhibition is devoted to these family links and portraits, displayed in opulent frames.

Laurits Regner Tuxen, The Family of Queen Victoria in 1887.  Royal Collection Trust

To celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, a detailed painting of her surrounded by her extensive family was commissioned, emphasising how personal the political was.

Fabergé, Mosaic Egg and Surprise. Royal Collection Trust

The Royal Collection also includes a number of works by Carl Fabergé. On display is one of the famous bejewelled Easter Eggs, with its 'surprise' beside it. It was confiscated after the 1917 revolution and ended up in Cameo Corner in London, where it was bought by King George V in 1933, probably as a birthday gift for Queen Mary.

Fabergé Chrysanthumums. Royal Collection Trust

The exhibition also includes some exquisite lifelike flowers, crafted from precious and semi-precious stones – just the thing to brighten up a long, dark Russian winter.

Cossack uniform belonging to Tzarevich Alexei. Royal Collection Trust

As in all families, things did not always go smoothly. There's a poignant reminder of the fate of the Romanovs after King George V declined to rescue them during the revolution – a little Cossack uniform once worn by the Russian heir, Alexei, who, with the rest of his family, was shot dead in a cellar. It was later found in a government shop in Leningrad. And in the mid 19th c, Britain was at war with Russia, trying, along with the French and Ottomans, to stop its expansionism in the Crimea. The stark realities of this conflict were captured on camera by the enterprising early photographer Roger Fenton when he visited the area in 1855.

Roger Fenton, Cossack Bay, Balaclava. Pioneering nurse Mary Seacole had travelled there on one of these ships.

His images of exhausted troops and desolate landscapes – including the scene of the Charge of the Light Brigade – brought the impact of war into public consciousness for the first time. An exhibition of these photographs, Shadows of War, runs alongside Royalty and the Romanovs, providing a stark contrast between the two worlds.  

Fabergé, Basket of Flowers Egg, 1901 Royal Collection Trust

Russia, Royalty and the Romanovs, Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, until 28 April 2019, with Shadows of War: Roger Fenton's Photographs of the Crimea, 1855. £12 (concessions available).