The art the Crown owns: inside the Royal Collection
Leonardo drawings, a Vermeer, Rembrandt and Canaletto: what the Royal Collection is, who it belongs to and where you can see it for yourself.
Art
Royal collections, attribution and how to start collecting.
Royal patronage shaped European art for centuries, and the questions it raises are still the questions of the art market today. Who painted it, who owned it, and what condition is it in? Our art pages visit a royal collection, follow a famous attribution debate and offer a grounded start for new collectors.
Salvator Mundi and the price of attribution
From £45 in 1958 to about 450.3 million dollars in 2017: what the story of Salvator Mundi teaches about attribution, restoration and value.
Starting an art collection: editions, prints and originals
Originals and editions, primary and secondary market: a grounded guide to buying your first works, keeping the right papers and living with art.
Try it yourself
Royal Jewels Quiz
Ten questions drawn from our articles. How well do you know royal splendour?
Continue the tour
More rubrics
- JewelleryTiaras, pearls and signet rings: the pieces that carry a family’s history.
- WatchesComplications, etiquette and the long road from pocket to wrist.
- CoutureHaute couture, royal wedding dresses and the craft of bespoke tailoring.
- CollectiblesWatches, royal memorabilia and the paper trail that makes objects valuable.
- Luxury BrandsHeritage houses, royal warrants and the codes of quiet luxury.
- Royal FamiliesDynasties, coronations and the jewels that pass between generations.
- AuctionsHow sales work, record results and a calm checklist for bidders.
- GemstonesThe 4Cs, the great coloured stones and the largest diamond ever found.
- AteliersGoldsmiths, hallmarks and the watchmaker’s bench.