‘Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol’ opened at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston yesterday and runs until 27th January 2019.
Lady Jane Dudley (née Grey)
(c) National Portrait Gallery
‘Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol sheds new light on changing ideas of monarchy and nationhood in Britain. The exhibition features portraits of British royalty spanning 500 years, by artists from Hans Holbein and Sir Joshua Reynolds to Annie Leibovitz and Andy Warhol.
In a sweeping survey, Tudors to Windsors covers the cavalcade of kings, queens, princes, and princesses who have graced the British crown. The MFAH is the only U.S. venue to host this unprecedented exhibition, part of a major partnership with the National Portrait Gallery in London. Some 150 objects—most never before seen outside of England—tell the story of Britain’s monarchy through masterworks of painting, sculpture, and photography.
Visitors have an extraordinary opportunity to come face-to-face with the fascinating figures of British royalty. Tudors to Windsors explores four royal dynasties: the House of Tudor (1485–1603), the House of Stuart (1603–1714), the House of Hanover (1714–1901), and the present-day House of Windsor. Among the many works of art on view are portraits featuring King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, King George I, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, and Prince William.’
From The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The exhibition includes the portrait of Lady Jane that was discovered in a house in Streatham in January 2006 and was purchased later that year by the National Portrait Gallery.
Montacute House
The portrait was first on display in Room 3 of the Tudor Galleries from spring 2007 to April 2009 and then at the entrance to the ‘Lady Jane Grey’ display from December 2009 until 15th August 2010.
Between March 2013 and May 2014 it was on display at Montacute House in Somerset. It was back in Room 3 at the National Portrait Gallery as part of ‘The Real Tudors: Kings & Queens Rediscovered’ exhibition from 12 September 2014 until 1st March 2015. The portrait returned to Room 2 of Montacute House in the late spring of 2015.
Also on display is ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey’ by Delaroche, which is on loan from the National Gallery.
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey
1833
Oil on canvas, 246 x 297 cm
Bequeathed by the Second Lord Cheylesmore, 1902
NG1909
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1909
For more information about the exhibition and to buy tickets: Tudors to Windsors: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
To see which portraits are on display from the National Portrait Gallery: National Portrait Gallery – Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA
