Art that tells the story of 900 years of Monarchy: A new eight-part Series from BBC

Written by Wilbur Wellington Wednesday, 07 December 2011 01:00

LONDON.- A collaboration between BBC Radio 4 and the Royal Collection to mark Her Majesty The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, BBC Radio 4 illuminates the long history of the Monarchy in a new eight-part series, The Art of Monarchy (broadcast from February 2012). Presented by BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz, the programmes explore the monarchs who have ruled these islands through the works of art they have acquired. Traveling from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to the Royal Library at Windsor and from the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, Will speaks to historians, academics and Royal Collection curators, all of whom share their expertise and explain how the chosen objects illustrate the subjects examined in the programmes, including faith, progress, war and legacy.

Among the objects featured in the series are:

• Henry VIII’s defense of Roman Catholicism, which led him to receive the title Defender of the Faith, before his break with the Roman Catholic Church;

• A memorial ring with a miniature of Charles I, intended as a token of reward for those who supported the loyalist cause.

• ‘The secret 1843 picture’, commissioned by Queen Victoria as a surprise for Prince Albert and showing her in an intimate pose with her hair unraveled.

Gwyneth Williams, Controller, Radio 4 says: “As we approach the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, The Art of Monarchy will give Radio 4 listeners an insight and deeper understanding of the Monarchy through a whole range of works of art from the Royal Collection. It is a unique opportunity to understand more about this fascinating collection and the monarchs who created it, whose history also spans the globe. Will Gompertz is the perfect guide, probing beneath the surface to draw out the stories, whilst reflecting on what art has meant to Kings and Queens through the ages. We hope listeners will enjoy listening to the programmes and take the opportunity to see the works online.”

Jonathan Marsden, Director of the Royal Collection says: “Just as the British Monarchy is one of the defining characteristics of this country, so the Royal Collection is the physical embodiment of that history. It is also a collection that is ‘in use’. So in this series Will discovers works of art ‘in the wild’, not in the captive conditions of a museum. And the settings, from the Highlands of Scotland to the Tower of London, contribute to the power of this series.”

Will Gompertz says: “The Royal Collection has a unique place in the world’s great art collections. It is extraordinarily rich both artistically and historically – including works from internationally renowned old masters, to intimate keepsakes belonging to the royal family over the centuries. The idea behind the series is to use the collection as a prism through which to better understand the art of being a monarch, through the objects acquired by those monarchs.”

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