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Episode TwoParadise Regained

Still from episode 2 of the series © BBC
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).
Explore some of the works of art featured in the episode
Lorenzo Lotto (Venice c. 1480-Loreto 1556)
Andrea Odoni
Leonardo da Vinci (Vinci 1452-Amboise 1519)
The head of Leda
Samuel Butler (active 1762)
Gold State Coach
Johannes Vermeer (Delft 1632-Delft 1675)
Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Branch of West Indian Cherry with Achilles Morpho Butterfly
Canaletto (Venice 1697-Venice 1768)
The Mouth of the Grand Canal looking West towards the Carità
Christopher Pinchbeck II (1710-83)