Event Item: 00031

Rule Britannia! Art, Royalty & Power in the Age of Jamestown

Exhibition: 28th Apr 2007 to 12th Aug 2007

Source: http://www.vmfa.museum

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts commemorates the 400th anniversary of Jamestown with a majestic exhibition of 16th and 17th century portraits and seascapes.

Featuring major loans from the collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the exhibition explores an era of royalty, exploration and war. From Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle come portraits of kings and queens, including King James I, in whose honor Jamestown was named. A group of massive seascapes from the Queen's unrivalled maritime painting collection show the fierce wars at sea that were waged as countries vied for supremacy over each other.

Additional loans from the National Maritime Museum and from museum and private collections in the UK bring alive the rich artistic culture of Baroque England. Artists, including van Dyck, Rubens, van de Velde and Lely, were employed by the royal court to portray the swagger and glamour of the age. VMFA's Great Hall has been transformed into a luxurious palatial interior to display these works of art in all their glory.

A highlight of the exhibition is the "Armada" portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, in whose honor Virginia was named. Owned by descendants of the godson of Sir Francis Drake, it has never before been exhibited in the United States.

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 North Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia.