Our first stop on the visit to Buckingham Palace was at the Royal Mews. It’s one of those places one hears of but it doesn’t quite have the glamour of the art gallery or the state rooms.
We’ve been to many historical museums and have seen lots of coaches and other conveyances. They always look uncomfortable to me – and I suspect they are – and I think if I were a passenger in one, I’d always be a little worried that it was going to tip over. They’re top-heavy but they must have sufficient stability because I’ve never heard of HM having to be extracted from a tipped-over coach.
This (above) is Queen Alexandra’s State Coach. It’s used to carry the crown and other essentials over to Parliament on the days of the State Opening.
Other coaches (above) are used on special occasions – weddings, funerals etc.
This (above) is the showpiece, without a doubt. This is the Gold State Coach. It was built for George III in 1762 and has been used at every coronation since then to transport the monarch.
The stables are beautiful and were quiet the day we were there although we did catch this fellow having a snack break.
We went from the Mews to The Queen’s Gallery. The exhibit changes and the one that's currently running is called Painting Paradise: The Art of the Garden. The gallery’s own website describes it this way:
Whether a sacred sanctuary, a place for scientific study, a haven for the solitary thinker or a space for pure enjoyment and delight, gardens are where man and nature meet.
Painting Paradise: The Art of the Garden reveals the way in which gardens have been celebrated in art across four centuries.
Bringing together paintings, botanical studies, drawings, books, manuscripts and decorative arts, the exhibition explores the changing character of the garden from the 16th to the early 20th century. It includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Maria Sibylla Merian and Carl Fabergé, and some of the earliest and rarest surviving depictions of gardens and plants.
The exhibit included depictions of the Garden of Eden, ancient Persian poems about gardens, the origins of gardening for food, the beginnings of the formal garden and much more. It was an amazing and original display of art and an inspiration. It was different from many of the art museums we’ve visited.
We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words so here are a few examples of the art:
Solid silver
Fabergé
Fabergé detail
Two art lovers
When I look at the photos the word "decadence" springs to mind. Such luxury. When I was at the Vatican and heard about the acres of stored ( never seen) art treasures, it mad e me ill. To think of all the poverty in the world and that the church which professes to care about the poor can just sit on such wealth.
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