What have the Hanoverians ever done for us?
March 4 2014
Picture: BG
I was slightly surprised, after all my recent Jacobite and Stuart hurrah-ing, to get an invitation from the German embassy to 'celebrate' the 300th anniversary of the Hanoverian succession. There seems to be a concerted effort to remind us what a Good Thing the Hanoverians were, with the Georges branded 'Glorious', and a whole new exhibition soon (11 April) at the Queen's Gallery on 'The First Georgians'. Says the Royal Collection:
In 1714 George I ascended the throne as the first British monarch of the German House of Hanover. With the dawn of a new dynastic age came a silent revolution – one of the most dramatic periods of change across all aspects of British political, intellectual and cultural life.
To mark the 300th anniversary of the beginning of the Georgian era, The First Georgians: Art and Monarchy 1714-1760 explores royal patronage and taste in the reigns of George I and George II as a product of a time when Britain was the world’s most liberal, commercial and modern society. It brings together over 300 works in the Royal Collection from royal residences across the UK.
Should be a fine show. More here.
