Seventh Day - London Sights, The Queen's Gallery

Originally day #7 was supposed to be a day trip to Bath, but with several places remaining to be seen in London, I changed the itinerary.  I've learned itineraries should be flexible guides.

A wise friend told me a good pair of walking shoes and an umbrella would be my best friends on the trip, and she was right.  I bought a pair of Skechers with memory foam, and they were the only shoes I wore the entire trip.  It's a good thing they're made for walkin', because we did a lot of walking and stair climbing [tube stations] on day #7.  I almost wore my daughter out, and myself too!

We went to seven different places - too many to include in one post, so I'll divide it up.  

Our first stop was the Queen's Gallery near Buckingham Palace.  On the way we passed a building covered with plant life.  It seemed worthy of a photo!  ;-)

We also passed the Royal Mews. I've never been in them... maybe next trip.

~ And here's the entrance to the Queen's Gallery ~

The Queen's Gallery is one of the few places in London I visited where a cup of tea wasn't available to purchase, but it was available in tins with beautiful tea accessories in the gift shop pictured below.  Amazingly, I walked out without any purchases.

Entrance to the upstairs Gallery.  The current exhibition is titled Painting Paradise: The Art of the Garden.  It contains over 150 paintings, sketches, and decorative arts from the Royal Collection, displayed March 20, through October 11, 2015.  It shows how gardens have been portrayed in art across the centuries.  I'm not going to post 150 pictures of paintings and decorative arts, but I did take some photos, and was grateful photography was allowed.  

The exhibition has categorical names such as The Renaissance Garden, The Baroque Garden, The Landscape Garden, the Horticultural Garden, etc.

~  The tour was self-guided with audio headsets. ~

~ Great Garden at Whitehall Palace ~ 

When the royal palace at Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1512, Henry VIII took over York Place, and renamed it Whitehall.  It was his royal residence in Westminster.  The Great Garden at Whitehall Palace, and The Family of Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace represent the Tudor Dynasty in the exhibition [five sovereigns - three kings and two queens].  

~ The Family of Henry VIII, at Hampton Court Palace c.1545 ~

Henry VIII had more than 60 houses, but none were more important to him than Hampton Court Palace.

He isn't one of my favorite monarchs. He had six wives and their fates can be remembered as "Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived." Marrying him would definitely have been a risky decision!  ;-)

~ Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, 1615 ~

~ The Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine and Barbara, c.1520-30 ~

~ Christ and St. Mary Magdalen at the Tomb, 1638 ~

Rembrandt depicts the scene described in St. John's Gospel [21:17]

~ Charles II Presented with a Pineapple ~

~  Tapestries are works of art as much as paintings ~ 

Pergolas were popular in gardens from Roman times onward, and one was recreated in the Queen's Gallery.  I took Lori's picture sitting in it.

~ Sunflower Clock from Vincennes Porcelain Factory, c.1752 belonging to George IV ~

The gold sunflower clock is in the very center, and the flowers surrounding it are all made of porcelain. Beautiful!

~ St. James Park and the Mall, c.1745 ~

Polite society gathered outdoors in the eighteenth century.

~ Another beautiful tapestry ~

The section featuring Queen Victoria was my favorite.  The painting below is called Windsor Castle in Modern Times: Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and Victoria, Royal Princess, 1840-45.  The painting provides a prominent view through the window of the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle towards the garden on the East Terrace.

~ The Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, June 28, 1897 ~

Queen Victoria invented the royal garden party as it is known today.  The first one was held in 1887 to mark her Golden Jubilee, and another in 1897 [in the painting below] to mark her Diamond Jubilee.  The painting depicts Her Majesty leaving the tea tent to return to her palace in her carriage.

~ A Summer Afternoon at Hampton Court, 1844 ~

The top fan was Queen Victoria's Birthday Fan c.1858 presented to her by Prince Albert.  It's a French fan that was popular in the nineteenth century, featuring emblems of the British Isles.  It's hard to see in the picture, but roses, shamrocks, and thistle are linked with swags of lily of the valley - the birth flower for the month of May.  

The bottom fan is The Princess Royal's fan, 1856.  15-year-old Victoria, Princess Royal, decorated the fan as a gift for Queen Victoria in 1856.

~ Queen Victoria with Prince Arthur, 1850 ~

The painting was done on the Pavilion Terrace at Osborne House, and was a birthday gift to Prince Albert.

~ A Guide to the Language of Flowers, 1st printed in 1825 by Henry Phillips ~

Gold-mounted enamel jewelry given to Queen Victoria from Prince Albert between 1839 -1846.  A brooch was in celebration of their betrothal, and a wreath was given on their sixth wedding anniversary.  She continued to wear them to celebrate her wedding anniversary throughout their married life.

Queen Victoria sentimentally fashioned jewelry from the baby teeth of her children.  Below, the fuchsia styled jewelry was made from the baby teeth of Princess Beatrice, her youngest child.  I wish I would have thought to be that creative.  What ever happened to my children's baby teeth after the tooth fairy retrieved them, and left money under their pillow?  ;-)

From the Queen's Gallery it was on to Buckingham Palace... next post.