Prince Charles has praised the "extraordinary" collection of paintings in the 'Charles I: King and Collector' Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition.
Prince Charles
The 69-year-old royal will become Charles III when he takes over as King after the passing of Queen Elizabeth, and on Monday (29.01.18) he became the first member of the royal family to lay eyes on the vast collection of paintings amassed by the former monarch in the 1600s, 350 years after they were first put together.
The Prince of Wales is the chairman of the honorary exhibition committee who have spent years scouring the globe at various art instillations for pieces owned by the late King, which have not been present in the same room as one another since various pieces were sold after his death in 1649.
In a speech after seeing the exhibition, Charles said: "President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I know all of you are dying to go through the exhibition, I know it's been very unfair on you because I've been allowed to see it on my own!
"The extraordinary effect this collection had on all who saw it in its heyday is probably well known and collectors all over Europe were well aware of the King's nose and eye for good pictures."
The Prince went on to explain how the paintings had come to be separated, and thanked the "generosity of other lenders" who have loaned their pieces to the exhibition for the purposes of the collection.
He said in his speech: "But thanks to the very great generosity of other lenders, notably the Prado and the Louvre, to whom we are immensely grateful, many outstanding pictures and other works of art form Charles I's collection have returned, some for the very first time since the 17th century, to add many layers of richness and delight.
"So, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are fortunate indeed to be in the first generation in nearly 370 years, to appreciate them as my ancestors once did. So thank you, all of you, for all the part you have played in making this great exhibition possible."
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