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Cumberland Art Gallery highlights

Updated 25 March. In line with Public Health England guidance, we have taken the decision to close all six of our palaces and gardens until 31st May. We will be reviewing this and will keep you updated. Please read our statement for further information. Read our statement

Duccio di Buoninsegna

Triptych: Crucifixion and other Scenes, c1302-8

Christ is at the centre, but this work is about his mother, the Virgin Mary, who appears four times. Duccio skilfully painted her emotions so that the viewer could identify with her sorrows, acceptance and trusting faith. This altarpiece was for private use. Its hinged sides originally closed like doors to protect and conceal the painting. When opened for prayer by candlelight, the gold leaf glowed and shimmered, evoking the riches of heaven.

Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

Sir Anthony van Dyck

Portrait of Mary, Princess Royal and later Princess of Orange, c1637

Court artists worked directly for the royal family. Van Dyck’s portrait of the 6-year-old daughter of Charles I is a statement of dynastic wealth – the expensive lace, pearls and gold damask curtain – but also a delightful image of a little girl with her hands clasped uncertainly in front of her silver apron, attempting a mature pose beyond her years.

Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to Historic Royal Palaces, 2008.

Rembrandt van Rijn

Self-Portrait in a Flat Cap, c1642

Here is the self-confident image of the greatest artist of 17th-century Netherlands, staring straight at us. Rembrandt painted himself over 40 times, essays of artistic self-expression that trace his life and career over 50 years. This portrait shows the artist at the age of 36 as a successful man-of-the-world, as yet untroubled by the difficulties of his later life.

Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020.

A painting by Rembrandt Van Rijn 1642 that hands in the Cumberland Art Gallery in Hampton Court Palace. A self portrait of Rembrandt Van Rijn.

Jan Brueghel the Elder

A Flemish Fair, 1600

Brueghel’s colourful depiction of a street party is also a celebration of the happiness of a society at peace. The Dutch Republic had declared independence from Spanish rule in 1581, heralding a ‘Golden Age’ of Dutch art and culture. This painting is a statement of national pride. It shows how a well-ordered society should be, but it is also an incident-packed description of town life, full of delightful detail.

Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020.

A painting by Jan Brueghel the Elder, 1600 that hangs in Cumberland Art Gallery, Hampton Court Palace. A festival with dancing peasants and other figures on a country road.
Frank Holl: No Tidings From the Sea, 1870 Oil on canvas Royal Collection RCIN405161

Frank Holl

No Tidings from the Sea, 1870

Victorian artists drew on a long legacy of narrative art. This painfully emotional scene captures a family’s desolation after the death of a fisherman. Holl’s muted colours and the quiet grief of each of the figures is relieved only by the mystical light around the bright white shirt of the young girl, a sign of hope and an echo of the religious symbolism of earlier artworks.

Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2018.

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State Entrance of Hillsborough Castle showing fireplace with surrounding seating and furniture. Looking towards doors leading into Candlestick Hall.
Events Tours and talks

Hillsborough Castle art tour

Join an expert guide on a tour of Hillsborough Castle's art treasures including unique works from the Royal Collection and other major lenders.

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Hillsborough Castle

11:45

Included in combined castle tour and gardens tickets (members go free)

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A guide shows a group of visitors the Throne Room in the State Rooms at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens. Two red and gold thrones sit at one end of the room and the walls are lined with green silk damask and the walls are lined with historical artwork.
Things to see Tours and talks

Castle tours

Discover elegant State Rooms still used by the royal family on a guided tour of Hillsborough Castle.

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Hillsborough Castle

Included in combined castle tour and gardens tickets (members go free)

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Events Member only

Around the Throne the Thunder Rolls with Dr Lauren Mackay

Join Dr Lauren Mackay to hear more about Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial Ambassador to Henry VIII's court.

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Hampton Court Palace

Separate ticket (advance booking required)

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Browse more history and stories

The story of Hampton Court Palace

Home of Henry VIII and the Tudor dynasty

The execution of Charles I

Tried and sentenced to death for high treason

The Crown Jewels

A priceless collection used to crown the kings and queens of England

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Henry VIII gauntlet armour oven glove made from Cotton twill with polyester thermal

Henry VIII gauntlet armour oven glove

This fun oven glove has been inspired by a suit of armour made for Henry VIII in 1540, which is on display at the Tower of London.

12.99