Tag: The King’s Gallery

Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian go on display in Scotland for the first time

A design by Leonardo da Vinci for a fantastical dragon costume is one of more than 80 drawings by 57 different artists that are now on display as part of the widest-ranging exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings for over half a century in Scotland.

Drawings by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Titian and more are among 45 works going on display in Scotland for the first time as part of Drawing the Italian Renaissance at The King’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Following a critically acclaimed showing in London, the exhibition explores the variety and range of drawings in this period, from preparatory studies for paintings and altarpieces to designs for sculpture and elaborate drawings which were made as gifts.

Drawings were often discarded after they had served their purpose, with only a small proportion surviving, but the works on display have been carefully preserved in the Royal Collection for centuries, allowing them to be enjoyed almost as vividly as when they were created. 

Lauren Porter, curator of the exhibition, said ‘This is a remarkable opportunity to share so many of the Italian Renaissance drawings from the Royal Collection, with over half being shown in Scotland for the first time.

“As works on paper cannot be permanently displayed for conservation reasons, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity for visitors to view these drawings up close, giving a unique insight into the minds of the great artists who made them.’

Reflecting the continued importance of drawing today, the Gallery is hosting its first artist residency, in collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art.

Edinburgh-based artists Phoebe Leach and Dette Allmark, both alumni of the School, will respond to the masterpieces on display by drawing in the Gallery throughout the exhibition. Their creations will form a changing display for visitors, who are encouraged to take inspiration and try drawing themselves, with materials freely available.

A highlight work on display is an example of one of Leonardo’s anatomical studies drawn from a real-life dissection. The double-sided drawing which shows the muscles of a man was created in c.1510–11 and shows his detailed, personal notes in his left-handed ‘mirror-writing’.

Perhaps lesser known are the anatomical studies of Michelangelo, who reportedly conducted human dissections as a young man. 

On display for the first time in Scotland is his study of a male torso in pen and ink, which was likely drawn from a wax model made by the artist, which shows his ongoing interest in human anatomy later in life. This can also be seen in his highly finished black chalk drawing of the resurrected Christ, with the artist capturing the energy of the muscular figure rising from his tomb.

Other striking figure studies on display include two works by Raphael: a vigorous drawing of Hercules slaying the many-headed Hydra, and a red chalk study of The Three Graces that was – unusually for the period – drawn from a nude female model.

Scenes from mythology were common subjects for Italian Renaissance artists and are well-represented in the exhibition. They include drawings by lesser-known artists including Paolo Farinati’s design for a fresco showing the goddesses of fruit and agriculture.

The drawing, which has not been on display before in Scotland, is inscribed with instructions for the artist’s assistants on the height of the figures, telling them they should be around three-feet-high but to ‘do it as you fancy when you are on the scaffolding.’

Other highlights on display include a drawing attributed to the Venetian artist Titian of an ostrich, believed to have been drawn from life, and Leonardo’s design for a dragon costume, which appears to house two men, in the manner of a pantomime horse.

A series of portrait drawings and head studies show therange of subjects, materials, functions and coloursof Italian Renaissance drawings.

The distorted and tormented face of a grotesque mask sketched by Michelangelo, possibly a design for a sculpture, contrasts with the classical features of Leonardo’s red and black chalk drawing of a curly-haired young man which is displayed nearby, with both works on show for the first time in Scotland.

After almost 120 hours of conservation work by Royal Collection Trust conservators ahead of the London exhibition, Bernardino Campi’s cartoon for an altarpiece of the Virgin and Child is on show for the first time in Scotland.

The cartoon, a large-scale drawing made of four pieces of paper joined together, was originally used to transfer the drawing onto a painting’s surface. The conservation work involved painstakingly removing the drawing from its deteriorating canvas backing and supporting sections where the paper had become as delicate as lace.

The Italian Renaissance saw the range and purpose of drawing greatly expand, resulting in some of the finest works of art in any medium. 

Michelangelo’s meticulous drawing A children’s bacchanal marks a highpoint of Renaissance draughtsmanship and is in perfect condition, allowing us to see Michelangelo’s mastery of the art of drawing.

Following a successful launch in 2024, The King’s Gallery will offer £1 tickets for the exhibition to visitors receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits.

Further concessionary rates are available, including discounted tickets for young people, half-price entry for children (with under-fives free), and the option to convert standard tickets bought directly from Royal Collection Trust into a 1-Year Pass for unlimited re-entry for 12 months.

Two Edinburgh-based artists chosen for first residency at The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse

Royal Collection Trust has announced an artist residency in collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) at The University of Edinburgh for the upcoming major exhibition Drawing the Italian Renaissance at The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Artists Phoebe Leach and Dette Allmark, both ECA alumni, will be responding to the masterpieces on display and drawing in the Gallery throughout the exhibition’s run, with their creations forming a changing display for visitors.

The residency, which is the first at The King’s Gallery in Edinburgh, has been organised in partnership with ECA, a leading international art school within The University of Edinburgh that traces its history back to 1760.

Drawing the Italian Renaissance, which opens on 17 October 2025, will be the widest ranging exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings in Scotland for over 50 years. Works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Titian are among more than 80 works on display, with 45 drawings going on show in Scotland for the first time.

The residency programme will demonstrate how drawing remains a vital practice for artists today, just as it was for the artists of the Italian Renaissance.

Visitors to the exhibition will also be encouraged to take inspiration from the works on display and try their hand at drawing, with pencils and paper freely available in the Gallery.

For artist Phoebe Leach, who was raised in Lincolnshire and graduated from ECA in 2024, drawing has been critical to her work. As a painter and printmaker, she explores how people experience and interact with the world around them, with drawing allowing her to shed light on often unseen spaces. 

Since October 2024, Phoebe has been documenting the work of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. 

Drawing brain surgeries and operations from life, she has created a unique record of the unit’s surgical activities and the experiences of patients (above).

Phoebe Leach said: ‘It’s a real privilege to have the opportunity to be a part of this residency so early in my career, just a year after graduating.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with the works in the exhibition – studying the techniques of the Old Masters to refine my own technical drawing skills, while also creating contemporary interpretations in response.

“Most of all, I’m excited to record the activity of visitors and their interaction with the exhibition to create live response drawings in the Gallery space.”

Dette Allmark, who graduated from ECA with a degree in Tapestry in 2000 and a Master’s in Illustration in 2022, as well as spending a year at the Royal Drawing School in 2007, is an established artist, illustrator and writer who has been a long-term resident of Edinburgh.

Drawing forms the basis for all Dette’s work, but it has increasingly grown in importance for her as an art form in its own right.

It provides a way for her to process the world around her to make sense of her life and experiences, with much of Dette’s work exploring the narratives, myths and archetypes that surround women.

Dette is currently a visiting artist to Scottish Opera in Glasgow, observing and drawing from rehearsals and live performances.

Dette Allmark said: ‘The characters and worlds created by the Renaissance artists not only capture beauty, ignite awe and tell stories but also allow us to see that these artists scrutinised their world, the imagined world and its characters to understand more about themselves, humanity and spirituality.

“I draw to make sense of my experiences, and I hope the visitors will be inspired to revisit what it is to play with a pencil, lay their judgement aside and conjure up a visual world that is uniquely theirs.’

Professor Juan Cruz, ECA Principal, Edinburgh College of Art, The University of Edinburgh said: ‘We’re thrilled that alumni of Edinburgh College of Art will be involved in this landmark exhibition, bringing some of the greatest works of the Italian Renaissance to Scotland for the first time.

“Drawing, in many guises, continues to be a vital part of creative practice, and this residency offers a unique opportunity for our graduates to engage with these historic works in a live public setting. We look forward to seeing how they interpret and respond to the collection through their own creative lens.’

Lauren Porter, Senior Curator of Works on Paper and curator of the exhibition, said: ‘We are delighted to have Phoebe and Dette as the first artists in residence at The King’s Gallery in Edinburgh.

“Drawing was fundamental to the Italian Renaissance and the residency will show its continued importance while offering both artists the time to engage with and respond to the works in their own unique way. We hope that visitors will not only enjoy seeing the artists at work and their drawings on display, but also feel inspired to pick up a pencil and try their hand at drawing.’

Highlights of the exhibition’s accompanying programme of events will include a Gallery Late with music, crafts, and drop-in talks, and family workshops which will explore the exhibition through yoga, storytelling, and drawing.

The two artists in residence will take part in family and community group events, while also on select days offering drop-in support, advice and discussion on drawing in the Gallery.

Widest-ranging exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings in 50 years to be staged in Edinburgh this autumn

Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian will be among 45 Italian Renaissance drawings going on display in Scotland for the first time this October, as part of an exhibition featuring more than 80 drawings by 57 artists – the most wide-ranging show of its kind in Scotland in over half a century.

Following a successful run in London, Drawing the Italian Renaissance will open at The King’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on 17 October 2025. The exhibition will explore how drawing was key to artistic practice in all fields during the Italian Renaissance and will reveal how dynamic the art of drawing became during this revolutionary artistic period.

Lauren Porter, curator of Drawing the Italian Renaissance in Edinburgh, said: ‘The Royal Collection holds one of the finest collections of Italian Renaissance drawings, many of which were acquired during the reign of Charles II.

“The drawings cannot be on permanent display because of their sensitivity to light, so this exhibition offers a rare and exciting opportunity for visitors to see a wide variety of works from this great collection, many of which are on display in Scotland for the first time.

“Drawings were fundamental to the art of the Renaissance, allowing artists to conceive and explore ideas, refine their designs and to experiment. Being able to view these drawings so closely will give visitors a unique insight into the minds of these great Italian Renaissance artists.”

The exhibition will highlight the continued relevance of drawing today as an essential part of many artists’ practice. Two Artists in Residence, both alumni of Edinburgh College of Art and appointed in collaboration with the School, will be drawing in the Gallery on selected days throughout the exhibition’s run. 

Visitors to the exhibition will also be encouraged to take inspiration from the works on display and try their hand at drawing with pencils and paper available in the Gallery.

Most drawings from the Italian Renaissance were created as preparation for projects in a variety of media, from paintings and prints to architecture, sculpture, metalwork, tapestry and costume.

They were often discarded after they had served their purpose, and only a small proportion have survived to the present day. As the drawings in the Royal Collection have been carefully preserved for hundreds of years, they can be enjoyed almost as vividly as when they were created.

The oldest drawing in the exhibition, in which an unknown artist depicts a young man sitting and drawing with a sleeping dog by his side, is around 550 years old and will be exhibited in Scotland for the first time.

Also on display for the first time in Scotland will be an elaborately worked drawing in red and black chalk on red prepared paper of the curly-haired head of a young man by Leonardo da Vinci, and Federico Barocci’s drawing of The head of the Virgin in delicately blended colourful chalks.

The idealised features of these two head studies contrast with the distorted and tormented facial expression of the grotesque head drawn by Michelangelo which will be displayed nearby. 

Many drawings in the exhibition are religious in their subject matter, including Raphael’s Christ’s Charge to Peter, which is one of his designs for a tapestry to be hung in the Sistine Chapel, and Michelangelo’s The Virgin and Child with the young Baptist, which may have been created as a preparatory study for a sculpture or perhaps as a private act of devotion.

On display for the first time in Scotland, following extensive conservation work before the London exhibition, will be a cartoon for an altarpiece of the Virgin and Child by the late-Renaissance artist Bernardino Campi.

Cartoons, which were large sheets of paper used to transfer a final design onto a painting’s surface, were often executed on poor-quality paper and were never intended to be kept – let alone displayed.

It took almost 120 hours of conservation work by Royal Collection Trust conservators to prepare the work to be exhibited, which involved painstakingly removing the drawing from its deteriorating canvas backing and supporting sections where the paper had become as delicate as lace.

The exhibition includes many preparatory drawings for the applied arts. These drawings would be used by specialist craftsmen to translate the artist’s design into another medium. Included in the exhibition is a colourful design for a painted wooden ceiling incorporating the scene of David slaying Goliath by an unidentified Roman artist, and an extravagant and asymmetrical 1.36-metre-high design for a candelabrum which features a riot of different motifs – presumably acting almost as a menu, from which a patron could select the elements he liked the most.

A section of the exhibition will examine how Italian Renaissance artists observed and explored the natural world, from a study of a branch of a blackberry bush by Leonardo da Vinci, capturing the vigorous nature of the bramble’s growth, to a drawing attributed to the Venetian artist Titian of an ostrich, believed to have been drawn from life, perhaps when the animal arrived after being imported into the port city as an exotic curiosity.

As well as works by the most famous names of the Italian Renaissance, the exhibition will give visitors an insight into the work of lesser-known artists who produced some of the finest drawings of the period.

Many of these works have never been shown in Scotland before and include a striking charcoal portrait of the head of a youth, which has been attributed to Pietro Faccini, and the imposing pen and ink drawing of a seated St Jerome by Bartolomeo Passarotti.

Following a successful launch in 2024, The King’s Gallery will continue to offer £1 tickets to this exhibition for visitors receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits.

Further concessionary rates are available, including discounted tickets for young people, half-price entry for children (with under-fives free), and the option to convert standard tickets bought directly from Royal Collection Trust into a 1-Year Pass for unlimited re-entry for 12 months.

100 years of royal portrait photographs and behind-the-scenes materials go on show in Edinburgh

A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II standing against the dramatic Highlands landscape of Balmoral will be among almost 100 rarely seen photographs, negatives, and archival materials from the last 100 years now on display at The King’s Gallery in Edinburgh.

Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography will chart the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day, unveiling the stories behind the creation of some of the most iconic images of the Royal Family.

The exhibition brings together little-seen vintage prints (the original works produced by the photographer, or under their direct supervision), contact sheets and proofs from the Royal Collection,alongside documents including letters and memorandums held in the Royal Archives.

It is the first time many of the works have been shown in Scotland, following the exhibition’s successful run in London.

Alessandro Nasini, curator of the exhibition, said: ‘Portrait photography is a creative process, and it has been fascinating to discover the careful decisions that were made to achieve such unforgettable portraits of the Royal Family, taken by some of the most celebrated photographers of the past century – from Dorothy Wilding and Cecil Beaton to David Bailey and Glasgow-born Rankin.

‘Although we may be used to seeing photographs on screens, the opportunity to see the original prints up close is rare, as they can’t often be on display for conservation reasons. With archival material providing context into how these photographs were made and used, I hope visitors will enjoy going behind the scenes into the process of creating royal portraits.’  

A star work of the exhibition will be a striking photograph of Queen Elizabeth II by Julian Calder, taken on the Highlands landscape of the Balmoral Estate in 2010 (top).

Beneath an unpredictable sky and cloaked in the mantle of the Order of the Thistle, the late monarch braved the threat of rain and midges to achieve Calder’s vision, inspired by 19th-century paintings of Clan chiefs – as seen in a behind-the-scenes photograph reproduced on a panel within the exhibition.

In contrast, for her 2007 portrait of the sovereign, Annie Leibovitz – the first American to receive an official commission to photograph Queen Elizabeth II – used digital editing to superimpose the figure against a stormy sky.

The past century was an exciting time for portrait photography; techniques evolved rapidly, and the transition from a manual craft to an increasingly digital process is a key theme of the exhibition.

One of the earliest photographs shows the royal family – including the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret – smiling in soft-focus and framed by an oval vignette, typical of its time in 1934.

To achieve this effect, society photographer Marcus Adams had to adjust the lens of an enlarger, a device for producing a photographic print from the original negative, which will also be on show.

Later photographs will show how portraits became bigger and ever more colourful over the course of the century. The impact of Nadav Kander’s bold, 1.6m-tall headshot of King Charles III when Prince of Wales, taken at Birkhall for a 2013 cover of Time magazine,or Hugo Burnand’s jewel-hued official Coronation portraits in 2023, was possible thanks to advances in printing technology.

The close relationships between photographers and royal sitters will reveal themselves over the course of the exhibition, as seen in the intimate portraits of Princess Margaret taken by Lord Snowdon, born Antony Armstrong-Jones, before and after they marriedin 1960.

Further highlights include 19 portraits taken by Cecil Beaton, who enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the Royal Family. Beaton came to prominence photographing stylish society figures in 1920s London and was seen as a surprising and avant-garde choice when Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother selected him for the now-famous shoot in the Buckingham Palace Gardens in 1939.

Visitors will also see photographs from their last sitting together in 1970 after more than three decades of collaboration, with the photographs later released to mark The Queen Mother’s 70th birthday. Referring to their unique relationship, The Queen Mother wrote to him saying, ‘we must be deeply grateful to you for producing us, as really quite nice & real people!’

Visitors will discover the multitude of purposes royal portraits have served, from reputation-making portraits of a young Queen Elizabeth II for use on currency and stamps by Yousuf Karsh, to birthday portraits of Princess Anne by Norman Parkinson. 

A handwritten memorandum from Queen Elizabeth II’s Assistant Private Secretary in 1953 reveals her suggestions for which Coronation portraits should be sent to Commonwealth representatives, used to thank Maids of Honour, and given as family mementos.

More recently, a photograph of Her Majesty Queen Camilla by Jamie Hawkesworth commissioned by Vogue shows The Queen with a book in her lap to represent Her Majesty’s passion for literature.

Following a successful launch in 2024, The King’s Gallery will continue to offer £1 tickets to this exhibition for visitors receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits. Further concessionary rates are available, including discounted tickets for young people, half-price entry for children (with under-fives free), and the option to convert standard tickets bought directly from Royal Collection Trust into a 1-Year Pass for unlimited re-entry for 12 months.

An accompanying programme of events will include:

  • Snapshots: Gallery Short Talks: A series of regular short talks taking an in-depth look at a different photograph each week and the story of its creation (6 March – 4 September).
  • Student Sessions: Curation and Conservation: An exciting opportunity for students in arts, heritage, and culture to hear from curator Alessandro Nasini, Senior Curator of Photographs, and Ashleigh Brown, Paper and Photographic Conservator, about what goes into an exhibition through interactive talks, workshops, and group discussion (27 March).
  • Curator’s Introduction: Alessandro Nasini, exhibition curator, will discuss the development of the exhibition and his personal highlights (11 April and 15 August).
  • Royal Portraits in the Press: In thisin-personlecture, Helen Lewandowski, Assistant Curator of Photographs, will discuss how iconic royal images have been shared in the media, from the printed press to social media (2 May).
  • Rankin: In Conversation: An exclusive digital event with exhibition curator Alessandro Nasini in discussion with renowned photographer Rankin, covering his techniques, work, and experience working with the late Queen (6 June).

Holyrood Palace Gallery to reopen with Georgian fashion blockbuster and £1 tickets for low-income families

Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians
The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse 
22 March – 22 September 2024

Reopening under its new name of The King’s Gallery, the art gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse relaunches its exhibition programme with Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians, exploring life in 18th-century Britain through the fashions of the day.   

It will be the 40th exhibition to be held in the Gallery since it opened in 2002 and the first in 18 months while the Gallery underwent essential maintenance works. A new scheme of £1 tickets, available to those receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits, will launch with the opening of the exhibition.

Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians will bring together almost 100 works from the Royal Collection, including paintings, prints and drawings by artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, William Hogarth and their contemporaries. 

At the heart of the exhibition will bea selection ofsurviving period clothing and accessories, alongside paintings showing comparable items. Together, these works will build up a layer-by-layer picture of what the Georgians wore – from the functional dress of laundry maids to the glittering gowns suitable for court – between the accession of George I in 1714 and the death of George IV in 1830.

After a successful run in London, new additions have been made with distinctly Scottish links. These include two depictions of George IV by Fife-born artist Sir David Wilkie, painted to mark the first visit by a reigning monarch to Scotland in almost 200 years.

In the largest of these, the King stands proud in full Highland dress of Royal Stewart tartan, making a statement of unity with the monarch portrayed as heir to both the Hanoverians and the Jacobites following over a century of conflict. Also on display is a portrait by Louis Gabriel Blanchet of Bonnie Prince Charlie, showing the Jacobite leader as a defiant prince. 

The 18th century was a period of discovery, with new inventions influencing fashion accessories. Imagery on fans – which could be revealed and concealed – gave women an opportunity to participate in topical conversations from which they might otherwise be excluded.

A French fan from 1783 depicts the second successful manned flight of a hot air balloon with a central vignette showing the balloon flying above Paris – to the delight of elegantly dressed crowds below.

Other accessories on display will include a miniature of Queen Charlotte, rings from her famed jewellery collection and jewel-encrusted snuffboxes.

From the introduction of military uniforms to the evolution of childrenswear and developments in haircare, and with notable loans from Historic Royal Palaces, the Fashion Museum Bath, The Bowes Museum, and The School of Historical Dress, this exhibition will explore what fashion can tell us about all areas of life in Georgian Britain.

As part of Royal Collection Trust’s charitable aim to ensure that as many people as possible can access and enjoy the Collection, the organisation is proud to launch a new scheme of £1 tickets for the exhibition, available to those receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits.

In addition to £1 tickets, The King’s Gallery will continue to offer a range of concessionary rates, while visitors who purchase standard tickets directly from Royal Collection Trust can convert them into a 1-Year Pass, allowing free re-entry for 12 months.

Anna Reynolds, curator of Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians, said: ‘Clothing and historical fashion can tell us an enormous amount about life in the Georgian period.

“It was a time of rapid change, including particularly momentous events in Scotland with attempts to restore the Stuart line to the throne and George IV’s visit north of the border – the first by a reigning monarch in almost 200 years.

“We are delighted to be launching accessible tickets with the opening of this exhibition, allowing more people than ever to learn about this exciting period in our history.’