Vice

This exhibition is now closed

A portrait of Danae (c The Royal Collection)

Beauty as a weapon

Beauty was a weapon. In the exotic world of the Restoration Court, beauty could be exploited: women, in particular, used it to command a new personal and political influence at the heart of government. For as well as being something spiritual and virtuous, beauty was also an earthly physical reality, a sexually-charged seductive force.

A portrait of Carey Fraser (c The Royal Collection)

A portrait of Carey Fraser (c The Royal Collection)

The rewards for being beautiful were never more plentiful for those who were prepared to compromise a little of their virtue along the way. Court life was glamorous and lucrative. It was the most important source of employment, honours and influence in the country. It gave women similar opportunities to their husbands, if they managed their beauty and gambled with their sexual favours.

The age of decadence

This was an age of artistic titillation, of revealed flesh and erotic invitation, of drunken debauches, illicit trysts, adultery and deceit, of decadence as well as elegance. This was the ambiguity at the heart of the Stuart Court. Women were encouraged to embrace a revolutionary libertarian philosophy which excused promiscuity and championed experimentation. But this was a dangerous game. They risked much, not least their reputation, within a culture of double standards. Men were ‘gallants’ if they seduced their way into a lady’s affections; women were sexual predators and whores.

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Further information

Entrance to the exhibition is included in your Hampton Court Palace admission ticket and is free for members. This exhibition contains adult content.

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Late opening on Mondays

On the first Monday of each month from May to September, the exhibition will remain open until 21.30. Hampton Court Palace closes as normal, but the exhibition remains open to daytime visitors wishing to stay. Evening-only tickets are priced at £10.00 per person and are available for pre-booking, or walk-up on the day.

Watch the exhibition preview film

The art, the exhibition and the scandalous characters, with curator Brett Dolman.

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Vice

Vice

This exhibition is now closed

Beauty as a weapon

The age of decadence

Ask Chiffinch

Further information

Late opening on Mondays

Watch the exhibition preview film

Your vote counts

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