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 and overseen by the Royal Collection Trust. The British monarch owns some of the collection in right of the Crown and some as a private individual. It is made up of over one million objects, including 7,000 paintings, over 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 Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

, are open to the public and not lived in by the Royal Family, whilst others, such as Windsor Castle and

Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...

, are both residences and open to the public. The public

King's Gallery The King's Gallery, previously known as the Queen's Gallery, is a public art gallery at Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the British monarch, in London. First opened to the public in the reign of Elizabeth II in 1962, it exhibits w ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence 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 royal hospitality. It ...

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 An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

next to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, and a Drawings Gallery at Windsor Castle. The Crown Jewels are on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. 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 best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

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 Duchy of Mantua was a duchy in Lombardy, northern Italy. Its first duke was Federico II Gonzaga, member of the House of Gonzaga that ruled Mantua since 1328. The following year, the Duchy also acquired the March of Montferrat, thanks to ...

. 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 Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

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 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 was mainly responsible for forming the collection's outstanding holdings of Old Master drawings; large numbers of these, and many Venetian paintings including over 40 Canalettos, joined the collection when he bought the collection of Joseph "

Consul Smith Joseph Smith (c. 1682 – Venice, 6 November 1770), often known as Consul Smith, was the British consul at Venice from 1744 to 1760. Dates given in the ''London Gazette'' prior to 1752 are old style, by modern standards, with the year beginning ...

", 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 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 Sir Frederick Augusta Barnard (1 September 1743 – 27 January 1830) was principal librarian to George III during much of the British King's reign. Barnard developed the library collection systematically, seeking guidance from noted intellect ...

, consisting of 65,000 printed books, was given to the British Museum and later transferred to the British Library, 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, Lord Lumley, and the Earl of Arundel.R. Brinley Jones, ‘ Llwyd, Humphrey (1527–1568)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004 Prince Albert's will requested the donation of a number of mostly early paintings to the

National Gallery, London 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 over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

, which Queen Victoria fulfilled.

Modern era

Throughout the reign of Elizabeth II (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 A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

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. 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. Before then, it was maintained using the monarch's official income paid by the

Civil List A civil list is a list of individuals to whom money is paid by the government, typically for service to the state or as honorary pensions. It is a term especially associated with the United Kingdom and its former colonies of Canada, India, New Zeal ...

. 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,

, 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

, a purpose-built exhibition centre adjoining

. 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,

Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, 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 Edinbu ...

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 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 over 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 last 500 years. The prints and drawings collection is based in the

Print Room, Windsor The Print Room at Windsor Castle is a print room which is an office in the Royal Collection Department of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the care and maintenance of the royal collections of dra ...

, and is exceptionally strong, with famous holdings of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci (550), Raphael,

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

and

Hans Holbein the Younger Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; german: Hans Holbein der Jüngere; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a Germans, German-Swiss people, Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered o ...

(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

Furniture

Numbering over 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

President of Mexico 2015 state visit to UK

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 (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 and the rest were made in the 16th–19th centuries. In 1862, it was first shown publicly at the South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria and Albert Museum. 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. It is understood that works of art acquired by monarchs up to the death of Queen Victoria 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 during her 70-year reign.Morton, p. 156. The Royal Collection Trust has confirmed that all pieces left to her by 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 only be willed to the monarch's successor. The legal accuracy of this claim has never been substantiated in court.Paxman, p. 165. According to

Cameron Cobbold Cameron Fromanteel "Kim" Cobbold, 1st Baron Cobbold (14 September 1904 – 1 November 1987) was a British banker. He served as Governor of the Bank of England from 1949 to 1961 and as Lord Chamberlain from 1963 to 1971. Early life Born in Lond ...

, 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 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 city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...

said that the monarch was "technically, perfectly at liberty to sell them". Hypothetical questions have been asked in Parliament about what should happen to the collection if the UK ever becomes a

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. In other European countries, the art collections of deposed monarchies usually have been taken into

state ownership State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownershi ...

or become part of other national collections held in trust for the public's enjoyment. Under the European Convention on Human Rights, 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 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 office of Surveyor of the King's/Queen's Works of Art in the Royal Collection Department of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom is responsible for the care and maintenance of the royal collection of works of art own ...

. The two posts were reinstated in December 2023. The Royal Collection Trust is a

company limited by guarantee In British, Australian, Bermudian, Hong Kong and Irish company law (and previously New Zealand), a company limited by guarantee (CLG) is a type of corporation used primarily (but not exclusively) for non-profit organisations that require legal pe ...

, 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, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

. 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 Queen 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. 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 * Lord Parker of Minsmere ( Lord Chamberlain) * Michael Stevens ( Keeper of the Privy Purse) *

Clive Alderton Sir Clive Alderton (born 9 May 1967) is a British diplomat and courtier who has served as Private Secretary to King Charles III and Queen Camilla since 8 September 2022. He previously served them in their capacity as Prince of Wales and Duchess ...

( 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 Timothy Aidan John Knox, (born 9 August 1962) is a British art historian and museum director. Since March 2018, he has been Director of the Royal Collection, the private art collection of the British Royal Family. The Royal Collection, held in ...

(

Director of the Royal Collection The Director of the Royal Collection is head of the Royal Collection Department, a department of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The department is responsible for the day-to-day management and upkeep of the art collect ...

) *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 (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)

Gallery

File:Leonardo da Vinci - Studies of the foetus in the womb.jpg, Leonardo da Vinci, '' Studies of the Fetus in the Womb'', 1511 File:V&A - Raphael, St Paul Preaching in Athens (1515).jpg, Raphael, '' Saint Paul Preaching in Athens'', 1516 ''(on loan to the V&A)'' File:TITIAN; Portrait of Jacopo Sannazaro (1514-18).JPG, Titian, ''Portrait of Jacopo Sannazaro'', 1514–18 File:Lucas Cranach d.Ä. - Apollo und Diana.jpg,

Lucas Cranach the Elder Lucas Cranach the Elder (german: Lucas Cranach der Ältere ; – 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 know ...

, ''Apollo and Diana'', c. 1526 File:Hans Holbein (II) - Sir Henry Guildford.jpg,

, ''Portrait of

Sir Henry Guildford Sir Henry Guildford, KG (1489–1532) was an English courtier of the reign of King Henry VIII, master of the horse and comptroller of the royal household. Early life He was the son of Sir Richard Guildford by his second marriage to Joan, s ...

'', 1527 File:Hans Holbein the Younger - Derich Born (1510?-49) - Google Art Project.jpg,

, ''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, ''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 Pieter Bruegel (also Brueghel or Breughel) the Elder (, ; ; – 9 September 1569) was the most significant artist of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaker, known for his landscapes and peasant scenes (so-called genr ...

, '' 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, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century eli ...

), 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 (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

, '' The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew'', c. 1602–1604 File:Rubens Milkmaids cattle landscape.jpg, Peter Paul Rubens, ''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 A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

'', 1623 File:Frans Hals - Portrait of a Man - Google Art Project (579097).jpg,

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, , ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, chiefly of individual and group portraits and of genre works, who lived and worked in Haarlem. Hals played an important role in the evolution of 17th-century group ...

, ''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 (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

, ''

Charles I with M. de St Antoine ''Charles I with M. de St Antoine'' is an oil painting on canvas by the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck, depicting Charles I on horseback, accompanied by his riding master, Pierre Antoine Bourdon, Seigneur de St Antoine. Charles I became King ...

'', 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), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

, '' 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,

, ''

Charles I in Three Positions ''Charles I in Three Positions'', also known as the ''Triple Portrait of Charles I'', is an oil painting of Charles I of England by Flemish artist Sir Anthony van Dyck, showing the king from three viewpoints: left full profile, face on, and ...

'', c. 1635–1636 File:Self-portrait as the Allegory of Painting (La Pittura) - Artemisia Gentileschi.jpg,

Artemisia Gentileschi Artemisia Lomi or Artemisia Gentileschi (, ; 8 July 1593) was an Italian Baroque painter. Gentileschi is considered among the most accomplished seventeenth-century artists, initially working in the style of Caravaggio. She was producing profess ...

, '' Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting'', c. 1638–1639 File:Rembrandt Self-Portrait (Royal Collection).jpg,

, '' 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, ''Queen Charlotte'', 1781

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *Lloyd, Christopher (1991), ''The Queen's Pictures, Royal Collectors through the centuries'', National Gallery Publications, . * * * * * *

External links

*
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{{authority control British monarchy British royal family Private art collections Art collections in the United Kingdom Material culture of royal courts