Discover the characters and details of Rubens' masterpiece using new super-zoom technology
Discover the characters and details of Rubens' masterpiece using new super-zoom technology
Devices are permanently installed in the Banqueting House and the virtual tour is included in the price of your admission ticket.
During busy periods, a small number of extra devices are available from a member of staff.
Included in palace admission (members go free)
Get an artists' eye view of Rubens' ceiling, down to the level of individual brush strokes added during its creation in the 17th century.
Created using 4,000 high-resolution photos of the ceiling, this new interactive tablet display uses digital super-zoom technology to bring Peter Paul Rubens' masterpiece to life.
The accompanying virtual tour includes stories behind the scene's characters and symbols, as well as some unexpected and easy-to-miss details.
The tour is available in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, German, and Italian. A British Sign Language (BSL) version will be available from May 2019.
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The Rubens' ceiling is believed to have been commissioned by Charles I in 1629-30. The ceiling includes a powerful depiction of Charles’ father, James VI and I, James VI and I, being carried up to heaven on the wings of a huge eagle.
Just a decade later, after his fall from power, Charles walked under his magnificent ceiling on his way to his execution, on a scaffold erected just outside the Banqueting Hall.
Walk in the footsteps of the condemned King and stand on the spot of Charles I's execution, just outside Banqueting House.
Open daily
Banqueting House
Included in palace admission (members go free)
Experience James I's breathtaking Banqueting Hall, created in 1622 as a venue for extravagant Jacobean entertainments.
Open daily
Banqueting House
Included in palace admission (members go free)
Explore the vaulted drinking den beneath the Banqueting House, which was used by James I for decadent royal parties.
Open daily
Banqueting House
Included in palace admission (members go free)