The ritual of public dining and its trappings in the time of Charles II

The Banquet of the Gods 1675-c.1684
RCIN 408425

Antonio Verrio (c. 1639-1707)
The Banquet of the Gods 1675-c.1684
Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022 Photographer: John Freeman
The King's Dining Room at Windsor Castle is one of the three rooms of the Baroque palace built for Charles II in 1675–83 that retains its seventeenth century interior. It is overlooked by a ceiling painted by Antonio Verrio in the 1680s depicting a feast of the gods. The walls are adorned with carvings of garlands of fruit, flowers and game by Grinling Gibbons, all in keeping with the theme of the room.

Charles II Dining Room, Windsor Castle ©