SS 2009 Course: "The Sale of the Century": The Acquisition and Dispersal of the Art Collection of Charles I

Course 111
Date: 19–23 January
Time: 9.15 am
Full Price: R270,00 Staff: R135,00 Reduced : R70,00

‘THE SALE OF THE CENTURY’: THE ACQUISITION AND DISPERSAL OF THE ART COLLECTION OF CHARLES I
Presented by: Edward Saunders, freelance lecturer, United Kingdom

This course is condensed in Course No 195 ‘The Late King’s Goods’: Charles 1’s collection of paintings. Please note that you may not register for both courses.

Charles I was without question the most cultured and artistic monarch to sit on the British throne. During his turbulent reign, from 1625 to the beginning of the Civil War in 1642, he managed to assemble an extraordinary collection of works of art, its importance matched only in magnificence by the royal collections in France, Spain and Austria. Following his execution in 1649, however, the Commonwealth took immediate steps to dispose of the possessions of the royal family in order to support the navy and pay off royal creditors.

This course will commence with the early Stuart court of Charles’ father, James 1, and will then describe how Charles amassed his collection, including who influenced his choices and where the paintings came from. It will consider the details of the Common- wealth sale, who the initial purchasers were and where the paintings eventually went. Finally, with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the role of Charles II, in his attempt to recover and replace his father’s lost works, will be discussed.

LECTURE TITLES:

1. The courts of James 1 and Charles I.
2. The acquisitions.
3. The final years, the execution and the sale.
4. The dispersal.
5. The restoration.