Exhibitions abroad: Treasures from the British Royal Collection on display in Edinburgh

The selection of 100 treasures from the Queen’s palaces of Great Britain is on show within the exhibition at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, which kicked off on March 16th 2012. The exhibition “Treasures from The Queen’s Palaces” reflects the tastes of monarchs and other members of the royal family who have shaped the Royal Collection over the past five centuries. “Inca crown” presented to Queen Victoria by the President of Ecuador is the centrepiece of spectacular exhibition to celebrate the present monarch’s 60th anniversary.

Successive generations of the Royal Family created the royal collection of works by Fabergé, which today is unparalleled in size, range and quality. The notebook is one of more than 20 pieces of Fabergé along with the master’s Imperial Easter Eggs to go on display in the exhibition. The notebook was given to Queen Victoria as a Christmas present by her grandson Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna. 

Paintings by Anthony van Dyck, Rembrandt, Raphael, Canaletto, Rubens, Claude Monet, works by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci – is an incomplete list of the show’s exhibits. Works of 20th c. artists, which became a part of “Royal Treasures” during the reign of Elizabeth II, include Lucian Freud’s “Self-portrait” and a pop art watercolor by Peter Blake.

What is more, the exposition in Edinburgh features oldest manuscripts in original and rare books.