Hampton Court Palace is playing host to the Court beauties, lecherous rakes and ambitious courtesans who decorated the decadent world of Charles II and his successors. This temporary exhibition explores the meaning of beauty, and the stories of love, lust and power that engulfed the late Stuart court of 1660-1714.
See portraits of Charles II’s principal mistresses, including Nell Gwyn and Barbara Villiers, brought together at the palace for the first time.
Uncover the truth about beauty: learn how it was seen both as a sign of divine perfection and virtue as well as a tool for vice and corruption. Discover the rewards of ‘being beautiful’! How far would you go to get what you wanted?
Visitors will also have the chance to meet Barbara Villiers 'in person' and hear about her life as a royal mistress.
The exhibition explores the story of how kings, queens and courtesans swept away the Puritanical solemnity of the mid-17th century, and attempted to rewrite the moral code of social behaviour.
