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DateLecture
11 March 2019The Empress Josephine and the Artists of her Time.
11 February 2019Turbulent times: Russian History as depicted by its 19th century realist painters.
10 December 2018In the Kingdom of The Sweets.
12 November 2018The Victorians and their Afterlife.
08 October 2018The Art of the Steal. Nazi looting during World War II.
09 July 2018James Whistler: “The gentle art of making enemies.”
11 June 2018The Magnificent Maya – Fact or Fantasy?
14 May 2018The Herbarium of Carl Linnaeus and the Linnean Society of London.
16 April 2018NB-DATE CHANGE - Foreigners in London – 1520-1677. The Artists that Changed the Course of British Art.
12 March 2018Shaken by an earthquake; Igor Stravinsky and the Ballets Russes.
12 February 2018Wabi and Sabi: the beauty of imperfection.
11 December 2017Io Saturnalia! Happy Christmas the Roman Way.
13 November 2017Healing Stitches: Therapeutic handicraft at the time of war.
09 October 2017George Cruikshank: the man who drew Oliver Twist.
10 July 2017Sir Stamford Raffles: Art Collector and Discoverer of Singapore.
12 June 2017Masquerades, Music Lessons and Monkeys.
08 May 2017Women behind the Lens: outstanding female photographers and their contribution to the art of photography.
10 April 2017Classical Gardens: a New Perspective.
13 March 2017Indians, Buffalo, Storms: The American West in 19th Century Art.
13 February 2017A marvel of Nature: Sofonisba Anguissola
12 December 2016Excess Baggage: The Journey of the Magi from St. Matthew to the Medici.
14 November 2016Treasures of the Turf
10 October 2016Frank Matcham’s Masterpieces: Theatre design and Architecture in Britain
11 July 2016Leonardo da Vinci – Pathfinder of Science
11 July 2016ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
13 June 2016Income and Inspiration: Financial secrets of the Masters
09 May 2016Mr Barry’s Great Work: Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament
11 April 2016Powder and Poison: Cosmetics, Beauty and the Art of Portraiture
07 March 2016Faber and Faber – 90 years of excellence in cover design
08 February 2016The Elgin Marbles
11 January 2016MEMBERS’ NEW YEAR LUNCHEON
14 December 2015Unwrapping the Christmas Story: Paintings, Prose and Poetry
09 November 2015Norfolk's Power Houses : Raynham, Houghton, Wolterton and Holkham
12 October 2015'Archeological Finds in East Anglia'
13 July 2015'The Baltic States: art and culture from the Medieval Hanseatic League to the Tsarist St.Petersberg'
13 July 2015Annual General Meeting
08 June 2015'The Making of Kew'
11 May 2015'The Age of Jazz ! Art Deco, Fashion and Style'
13 April 2015'Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Francis Hals: Art in the garden of God'
09 March 2015'The Art of Waterloo'.
09 February 2015'Who says ? Can we trust the experts on Good or Bad in Art ?
08 December 2014Merrily on High: the History of the English Christmas Carol
10 November 2014The Appreciation of Contemporary Architecture
13 October 2014Three Artists of the First World War

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The Empress Josephine and the Artists of her Time. Stephen Duffy Monday 11 March 2019

Napoleon’s Empress, Josephine de Beauharnais, was a passionate gardener, book collector, patroness and art collector. Her reputation in France and abroad for generosity, charm and gentleness of manner was of enormous value to Napoleon as a feminine counterpart to the otherwise military and legalistic tenor of his regime.  Countless contemporaries emphasized her sensitivity and genuine interest in the visual arts – often no doubt in part as a contrast to her husband. This talk will explain the range of her cultural activities, including her acquisition of a large and distinguished collection of paintings, including by far the most important group of works by an entirely new school of painting, the Troubadour pictures of beautifully crafted historical scenes. Indeed, as will be explained, among female royal collectors, her only superior is the incomparable Catherine the Great.