Episode TwoParadise Regained

One of the first acts of Charles II's reign was the recovery of his father, Charles I's, art collection.  It was also during his reign that the largest collection of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci entered the Royal Collection.

In the second episode of the series, Andrew Graham-Dixon  explores the collecting of the restored monarch and that of his successors, including the enlightened George III.  An active patron of the arts and sciences, George III created a magnificent collection of clocks, and acquired masterpieces by artists such as the Venetian master Caneletto to furnish his newly purchased Buckingham House (later Buckingham Palace).