We have just enjoyed an excellent visit to the major Holbein exhibition at the Tudor Court, where we saw many of his portraits and other works at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London.
The exhibition highlights works from Holbein’s time at court in the first half of the 16th century, when he rose to become the most important artist in Tudor England. We were able to see at close quarters extraordinary drawings which he did in preparation for the finished paintings, and saw many of his works on Henry VIII, Sir Thomas More and Anne Boleyn, to name but a few.
It was such a special exhibition to see, because this is the largest group of Holbein’s works from the Royal Collection to be exhibited in over 30 years bringing together over 100 works from Henry VIII’s court.
When you are there and immerse yourself in the exhibition, it is incredible to see such works that have survived for many hundreds of years. For me personally, to think that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn both visited King John’s Palace – our farmhouse – when it was a Royal Hunting Lodge made it even more special.
To come face to face with original drawings of them both was just amazing, and I found myself wondering if Holbein had ever been at the Tudor Court when it was at Langley Palace.
The Royal Parks
Not only did we visit The Queen’s Gallery but we ambled around some of the Royal Parks and saw the guards on their beautiful horses riding by.
Historic London is truly a special place and only a short train ride away from Charlbury Station. I look forward to my next city trip but it is always nice to come home. The Cotswolds is such a special place to live and I am very lucky to have done so for nearly 40 years.
I know exactly why so many visitors want to come here. It was after all chosen by the Royals all those years ago so no wonder it is such a popular place to visit now.
The exhibition is on until the 14th of April and I would highly recommend a visit as there is so much to see and learn about Holbein at the Tudor Court. I would also highly recommend a visit to our amazing house where you can bring your family and friends and immerse yourselves in real Tudor history.
