Suzie Simons (Eye Matter’s Founder” said, “We are so grateful to the King’s Gallery for making us feel so welcome. Eye Matter members really appreciated the consideration in allowing us exclusive access to the galleries in order to ensure maximum focus of the audio describers who brought everything to life
On Tuesday 14th October, 17 Eye Matter members joined us for a wonderful visit to the King’s Gallery. We were warmly welcomed by Amy, who has been our point of contact for organising Royal Collection outings over the past couple of years. We were reunited with Catherine, our audio describer, whom many of us had met previously at our visit to the Royal Mews last month. This time we were also joined by another audio describer, Tory. The tour began in a stunning upstairs room featuring a beautiful glass-domed ceiling and a grand table that looked like it could seat 25 guests. We were offered tea and biscuits before Catherine gave us an engaging overview of what the tour would entail.
Once inside the first gallery )entitled the green room)Catherine described the artwork, including portraits of royal individuals and groups. From Queen Victoria and her children to King Edward VII and his elegant, socially prominent wife, Queen Alexandra. Finishing With Queen Mary and King George V. The contrast between these royal couples was striking – Edward and Alexandra came across as distinctly modern, while George and Mary exuded a sense of deep tradition, brought to life through the visual descriptions of their attire, surroundings and a collection of stories.
We were fascinated to learn about Queen Alexandra’s (1844-1925) interest in amateur photography and amazed to discover she had commissioned plates featuring photographs she had taken herself. Among the treasures we saw were tiaras, coronets, and crowns, along with paintings and decorative objects spanning the Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian eras. Through the vivid descriptions of the lavish period. Rooms we imagined a picture of organised chaos where desks were scattered with nicknacks and memorabilia.
The tour delved into the lives and tastes of two of Britain’s most fashionable royal couples – King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary – from their family life and collecting habits to their glittering social circles and grand state occasions. There were more than 300 objects from the Royal Collection on display, of which nearly half had never been exhibited before. The exhibition featured work by some of the period’s most celebrated artists and designers, such as, Carl Fabergé, Frederic Leighton, Edward Burne-Jones, Laurits Tuxen, John Singer Sargent and William Morris.