2025 will be the 400th Anniversary of Charles I’s accession to the throne in 1625.

Charles I’s obsession for collecting works of art began when, as a 22-year-old prince, he travelled to Spain and saw the magnificent collection of the Spanish king, Philip IV. On becoming King in 1625 Charles purchased the fabulous collection of the Gonzaga Dukes of Mantua which included works by Titian, Raphael and Andrea Mantegna’s astonishing series of paintings “The Triumphs of Caesar”.

Charles engaged Peter Paul Rubens to paint the ceiling of the Banqueting House in Whitehall and appointed Anthony van Dyck as his Court Artist.  Van Dyck’s iconic royal portraits created the enduring image of Charles 1st we remember today. 

By the end of his reign, Charles had amassed over 2000 works of art but in doing so he had bankrupted England and alienated his people. Tragically as the collection expanded his political fortunes plummeted.

His life ended on the scaffold in 1649 and most of the collection was sold in what was known as “The Commonwealth Sale” in 1650. While many works were retrieved by Charles 2nd during the Restoration, others now hang in the great Art Galleries of Europe. 

Images (courtesy of the lecturer) Trophy Bearers from the Triumphs of Caesar by Mantegna, Charles I with M de St Antoine by van Dyck (1633)