The latest exhibition at the King’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse is described as the widest ranging display of Italian Renaissance drawings in half a century.
Some of the drawings are by artists almost everyone has heard of, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian, and 45 of the works have never been shown in Scotland before.
All of the 80 drawings by 57 artists are part of The Royal Collection, and have been stored carefully in albums in Windsor Castle out of the light which would damage them – but there are some which are now 500 years-old.
The curated display will be shown in low light at the gallery to preserve them during the four and a half month long stay in the capital.
This exhibition was already shown in London, and explores how drawing was key to artistic practice in all fields during the Italian Renaissance and will reveal how dynamic the art of drawing became during this revolutionary artistic period.
Artists including Michelangelo and Leonardo conducted dissections alongside doctors, so keen were they to know exactly how the body worked so that they could draw it.
Lauren Porter, the curator of Drawing the Italian Renaissance in Edinburgh, said: “The Royal Collection holds one of the finest collections of Italian Renaissance drawings, many of which were acquired during the reign of Charles II. The drawings cannot be on permanent display because of their sensitivity to light, so this exhibition offers a rare and exciting opportunity for visitors to see a wide variety of works from this great collection, many of which are on display in Scotland for the first time.
“Drawings were fundamental to the art of the Renaissance, allowing artists to conceive and explore ideas, refine their designs and to experiment. Being able to view these drawings so closely will give visitors a unique insight into the minds of these great Italian Renaissance artists.”
The exhibition shows the continued relevance of drawing today as an essential part of many artists’ practice.
Two Artists in Residence, both alumni of Edinburgh College of Art and appointed in collaboration with the School, will be drawing in the Gallery on selected days throughout the exhibition’s run. Visitors to the exhibition will also be encouraged to take inspiration from the works on display and try their hand at drawing with pencils and paper available in the Gallery.
Most drawings from the Italian Renaissance were created as preparation for projects in a variety of media, from paintings and prints to architecture, sculpture, metalwork, tapestry and costume. They were often discarded after they had served their purpose, and only a small proportion have survived to the present day.
As the drawings in the Royal Collection have been carefully preserved for hundreds of years, they can be enjoyed almost as vividly as when they were created. The oldest drawing in the exhibition, in which an unknown artist depicts a young man sitting and drawing with a sleeping dog by his side, is around 550 years old and will be exhibited in Scotland for the first time.
Ms Porter is extremely keen on the Michelangelo work A Children’s Bacchanal which is below. She regards it as a must see and you will find it in all its exquisite detail at the end of the exhibition.
Following a successful launch in 2024, The King’s Gallery will continue to offer £1 tickets to this exhibition for visitors receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits. Further concessionary rates are available, including discounted tickets for young people, half-price entry for children (with under-fives free),and the option to convert standard tickets bought directly from Royal Collection Trust into a 1-Year Pass for unlimited re-entry for 12 months.
An accompanying programme of events during the exhibition will include:
- A drawing workshop with artist Mark Kirkham, the Edinburgh Sketcher on 22 November.
Mark kindly offered us the drawing he completed while visiting the gallery and the exhibition on Friday morning.
- Family yoga workshops beginning with a visit to the Gallery to view the drawings, which will give inspiration for movement and yoga (29 November and 13 February).
- A family drawing workshop with a visit to the exhibition to take inspiration from the works on display (29 November and 20 February).
- A Gallery Late event with music performances, crafts, and drop-in talks from the exhibition’s curator Lauren Porter (5 December).
- A lecture from Lauren Porter exploring the stories behind the works and the themes and connections that link them (5 December and 29 January).
- Regular free short talks on the exhibition (every Thursday).
The complementary publication Be Inspired: To Draw Like a Renaissance Master is a sketchbook combining drawing exercises and pages for sketching with an introductory essay by Martin Clayton, Head of Prints and Drawings at Royal Collection Trust, and is available at £16.95 from Royal Collection Trust Shops, royalcollectionshop.co.uk, and all good bookshops.
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