A king and queen reunited
See behind the scenes as paintings are moved at Windsor Castle.
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Two striking paintings have been reunited in The Queen’s Drawing room at Windsor Castle. Anne of Denmark now hangs beside her husband, James I and VI. James was the first Stuart King of England. He united the thrones of England and Scotland when he succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603.
Our conservation team cleaned and restored the impressive portrait of Queen Anne before the move. Conservators discovered that the head and shoulders are on a smaller piece of canvas. This suggests that the smaller painting was later made into the full-length portrait.
The magnificent portrait by Paul van Somer shows the queen in a wide wheel farthingale, a type of hoop skirt. This was a fashion which Anne was particularly fond of. It also show Anne’s interest in architecture with the imaginary building behind her.
You can see the two portraits on your visit to Windsor Castle.
