The office of Surveyor of the King's/Queen's Works of Art in the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

Department of the Royal Household of the

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

is responsible for the care and maintenance of the royal collection of works of art owned by the

in an official capacity, about 700,000 objects - many of museum quality. The collection is spread across the various official and historic residences. Those objects in the official residences are in constant use. Objects in the Royal Collection are distinct from those objects owned privately and displayed at

Sandringham House Sandringham House is a country house in the parish of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. It is one of the royal residences of Charles III, whose grandfather, George VI, and great-grandfather, George V, both died there. The house stands in a est ...

and

Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle () is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and west of Aberdeen. The estate and its original castle were bought ...

and elsewhere. The Surveyor oversaw conservation of works of art: there are three conservation workshops, including a recently constructed workshop in the Home Park, Windsor. The office dates from 1928, and has only been full-time since 1972. Sir

Lionel Cust Sir Lionel Henry Cust (25 January 1859 – 12 October 1929) was a British art historian, courtier and museum director. He was director of the National Portrait Gallery from 1895 to 1909 and co-edited ''The Burlington Magazine'' from 1909 to 1919 ...

Surveyor of the King's Pictures The office of the Surveyor of the King's/Queen's Pictures, in the Royal Collection Department of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Sovereign of the United Kingdom, is responsible fo ...

, had been responsible for works of art from 1901 to 1927. The current Surveyor is Caroline de Guitaut, LVO, who was appointed in December 2023. She is the first woman to hold the position. The previous Surveyor, Rufus Bird, was appointed upon the retirement of Jonathan Marsden, CVO, who was in turn appointed upon the retirement of

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Hugh Roberts on 20 April 2010. Jonathan Marsden was the last Surveyor who was also concurrently Director of the

for which he chaired a management committee of the Surveyors and Librarian and other administrators. The post of Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art was in abeyance until December 3, 2023.

List of Surveyors of the King's/Queen's Works of Art

*Sir

1901–1927 (also

Pictures An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be displayed through other media, including a project ...

) *Sir Cecil Harcourt-Smith 1928–1936''London Gazette,'' p. 10197.
22 October 1920. * Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Gerald Wellesley 1936–1943 *Sir James Mann 1946–1962 *Sir Francis J.B. Watson 1963–1972 *Sir

Geoffrey de Bellaigue Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue (12 March 1931 – 4 January 2013) was Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art from 1972 to 1996. His was the first full-time appointment to the office, and he did much to professionalise the Royal Collection department af ...

1972–1996 *Sir Hugh Roberts 1996–2010 *Sir Jonathan Marsden 2010–2017 *Rufus Bird 2017–2020 *Caroline de Guitaut 2023–

References

External links

* {{job-stub