Rarely seen items from the Royal Collection are to be showcased in a new BBC season created in partnership with the Royal Collection Trust.
BBC bosses promise the season will “reveal the fascinating history of one of the largest and most important art collections in the world.”
Airing on BBC Four, the four-part The Royal Collection will see Andrew Graham-Dixon visit royal residences, museums and galleries across the UK where he’ll explore a collection that includes world-famous masterpieces by Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Canaletto and unrivalled collections of exquisite drawings by Holbein and Leonardo da Vinci.
From grand sculpture and some of the most remarkable furniture ever made to Tudor miniatures and the extravagant creations of Fabergé, Graham-Dixon will explain what the objects meant to the artists who created them and to the royal collectors who acquired them.
Also as part of the season, BBC Two will scree Treasures Reunited: Charles I At The Royal Academy in which presenter Brenda Emmanus will explore the Royal Academy’s landmark exhibition.
Jonty Claypole, Director, BBC Arts says: “The BBC is delighted to be working in partnership with Royal Collection Trust.
“These programmes will give audiences across the UK a chance to discover the extraordinary history and masterpieces of the Royal Collection, as well as some of its lesser-known, but equally extraordinary treasures.
“Broadcast will coincide with the major exhibitions, Charles II: Art & Power at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, and Charles I: King and Collector at the Royal Academy.”