Blog

Painter and Art Critic Roger Fry, Impressionism, Paris and Bloomsbury. 

The 17th Century Court Masques were riotous and daring. Here, Portrait Miniatures Consultant Emma Rutherford, shares an insight into the intense nature of the Court Masque in relation to Isaac Oliver’s beautiful portrait miniature, which was recently acquired by Philip Mould & Company. 

Few twentieth century British artists were more consciously and passionately drawn to flowers than Cedric Morris. Renowned horticulturist, author and presenter Alys Fowler explores Cedric Morris’ two great passions – plants and painting, in an online lecture.

Mildred Cooke Cecil: Pregnancy Portrayed in Elizabethan England
A Free Online Public Lecture delivered by Karen Hearn FSA | 3 June 2021 | 19:00-20:00

This strikingly propagandist portrait of King James VI & I was painted not long after his accession to the English throne and is unique within his documented iconography in oil paint. Its visual elements reveal a ruler’s message of union and peace.

Over the passage of time a sitter's identity can often be forgotten, and even the most important figures of the Elizabethan age can be found languishing under mistaken identities.  In this short film, Lawrence Hendra, Head of Research at the gallery, explores the idenity of this arrestingly individual sitter by the portraitist Robert Peake.

English sixteenth century portraits of children are rare, and when they were portrayed the child's maturity was often exaggerated. Watch this video to explore this overstated association with adulthood in a portrait of a young three-year-old girl.

Powerful, self-admiring and proud, Robert Dudley's ego has raised eyebrows for nearly 500 years.

This portrait contains subtle, naturalistic touches which offer a glimpse into the story of the real man behind the power and glory.

An essay by Jessica David, Senior Paintings Conservator at the Yale Center for British Art, and Dr. Edward Town, Head of Collections Information and Access at the Yale Center for British Art.