In the year of his accession at the age of 22, George III proclaimed to Parliament, 'I glory in the name of Briton'. His 60-year reign (1760-1820), one of the longest in British history, was a period of extraordinary advancement in the arts, sciences and manufacturing. Yet George III's record as one of the most influential patrons of his time has been completely overshadowed by his image as the mad king and as the monarch who lost America.
This major exhibition is the first ever to focus on both George III and his consort, Queen Charlotte, as collectors and to explore their encouragement of the arts. It examines their close association with leading artists and entrepreneurs during one of the most creative periods in British history, which saw the foundation of such bodies as the Royal Academy of Arts and the Royal Society of Arts.
The 500 objects, drawn entirely from the Royal Collection, constitute one of the largest and finest groups of Georgian material ever assembled. They include sculpture, furniture, paintings, drawings, books, ceramics, silver and gold, jewellery and clocks. Although the exhibition focuses on the 50 years before the onset of George III's final illness and the establishment of the Regency in 1811, it includes poignant items made to celebrate the King's first recovery from porphyria in 1789.
In 1762 George III purchased Buckingham House for his young bride Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The decorative arts commissioned for their new home began the King's life-long commitment to British 'manufactures'. Mahogany furniture by William Vile, silver by Thomas Heming, porcelain from the Chelsea, Derby, Wedgwood and Worcester factories, and ornamental metalwork by Matthew Boulton are among the superb pieces shown in the exhibition.
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