The day is divided into three sessions with a sumptuous lunch after lecture two. Tea and coffee and soft drinks are provided. The day has a maximum of 50 guests so that we may socialise in the breaks and get to know fellow members and maybe even speak with the lecturer.

1.   Royal Baroque

From its origins in the Catholic Counter-Reformation, the Baroque style was closely associated with power and spectacle. At the Restoration court, Charles II drew on continental precedent to fill his palaces with luxurious paintings and furnishings. In our first lecture, we will look at the artists and craftsmen who helped the Stuart monarchs to re-establish a magnificent monarchy, following the austerity and uncertainty of the Civil Wars and Interregnum.

2.   The Baroque Country House

 While the court set artistic fashion, many nobles were also keen to establish their own status as patrons of the arts, and many of Britain’s best-loved country houses were built or refurbished in the ‘Baroque’ period. In this lecture, we will visit of the most iconic houses of the age, including Chatsworth, Petworth and Blenheim. We will meet the people who created them, and take in some of the highlights of their sumptuous interiors, gardens and art collections.

3.   Queens, Consorts & Courtiers: Female Art Patrons

What was the role of women in British Baroque art? In an era when married women’s property automatically belonged to their husbands, could women still be patrons? Female patronage has often been hidden within the historical record, but new research has shown that the patronage of these women has been considerably underestimated. From Queen Catherine of Braganza’s patronage of Catholic artists, to the Duchess of Marlborough’s politically-charged London mansion, we will look at some of the most important works of art and architecture commissioned by women, and consider how they used art to carve out their position in society.

Image:  Portraits Sir-Anthony-van-Dyck-Lord-John-Stuart-and-His-Brother-Lord-Bernard-Stuart ​