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BBC Four: The Story of the Royal Collection

Andrew Graham-Dixon studies a bust of Charles I © BBC
The origins of the modern Royal Collection can be traced to the reigns of the great Tudor monarchs, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. But it was in the reign of Charles I that one of the greatest art collections ever assembled in Britain was put together. In the first episode of the series, Andrew Graham-Dixon explores some of the finest works acquired by these kings and queens, including exquisite drawings of Henry VIII's court by Hans Holbein the Younger, imposing portraits by Sir Anthony van Dyck, and Andrea Mantegna's nine huge canvases, The Triumphs of Caesar, which can be counted amongst the finest achievements in Italian Renaissance art.
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Henry VIII's armour
Henry, Prince of Wales' Greenwich armour
Selected highlights from the Collection
Guido Mazzoni (d. 1518)
Henry VIII (1491-1547) when a young boy (?)
Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/8-1543)
Cicely Heron (b.1507)
Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619)
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
Erasmus Kyrkenar (c. 1495-1567)
Armour garniture of Henry VIII for the field and tilt
Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641)
Charles I (1600-1649) with M. de St Antoine
Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506)
The Triumphs of Caesar: 3. The Bearers of Trophies and Bullion
Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641)
Cupid and Psyche
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)