Today is the last day of this exhibition, I went to the wrong room on Wednesday, so I can’t miss this exhibition again today.
The British royal family has been a source of fascination for hundreds of years. For much of that time, most ordinary people would never have seen their king or queen in person. For them, the monarch was only seen in paintings that hung in great houses or civic buildings, as public sculpture or, more often, on the coins in their pockets.
Monarchs had the power to shape and authorise how they were shown. Depending on their personality, the political need and the fashion of the day, the royal portrait could reflect anything from graceful elegance or maternal charm to raw power and extraordinary splendour.
The most successful royal portraits seem to provide insight into the monarch’s character as well as their appearance. From the 16th century, reliable likenesses of kings and queens, their heirs and favorites were produced by painters and sculptors skilled in the new art of portraiture.
Draw mainly from the superb collection of the National Portrait Gallery, this exhibition considers the changing face of monarchy through portraits of some of the people who have ruled Britain over the last five and a half centuries.
I spent a day in the exhibition hall. As I haven’t had a comprehensive understanding of British history, I was very interested in these historical contents. The gallery features portraits of key royal figures from five dynasties, from the TUDORS, STUARTS, GEORGIANS, VICTORIANS to WINDSORS dynasties. When I looked through the whole exhibition, I realized that people all over the world have similar love and hatred: marriage for political needs, the need for male heirs, and the risk of children dying early. Queen Elizabeth had her own suitor but remained single all her life. She fought with Queen Mary for a long time, and finally passed the throne to Queen Mary’s son without an heir. James I was attracted to George Villers by his charm and good looks, and the two may have been lovers. But their relationship was not accepted by the public or the court. The tired face of James II, who feared he would not have a male heir, was recorded by court painters. Mary II ruled in coalition with her Protestant husband William III. Queen Anne was keen to use the iconography of Elizabeth I to support her right to rule.
The most interesting love story is George III and German-born Charlotte first met on their wedding day and overcoming initial obstacles of language, they forged a strong and affectionate bond and had 15 children. Just like many children from rich family always being spoiled, George, the future king of the 15 children, had a reputation for vanity, self-indulgence and debauchery.
The love story between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is also touching: Victoria first met her cousin Albert in 1836. Victoria was only 18 years old when she came to the throne in 1837. After their second meeting in 1839, the queen confessed in her journal her feelings for him. I think Albert was a great emotional support to Victoria during her reign, but he died at the age of 42.
In the process of understanding these history, I also carefully observe the details of each character’s costume. I can see the change in clothing, but I need to look at more books to see why it happened.