‘Damned expensive taste though’: The Afterlife of George IV’s Collections and Building Projects, from William IV to Elizabeth II'

King George IV died on 16 June 1830 in his new bedroom at Windsor Castle. Increasingly dropsical and reclusive towards the end of his life, he had only just moved into his new apartments in the Castle with his rapacious mistress, Lady Conyngham, and a small group of devoted attendants. George bequeathed a vast array of furniture and works of art to his successors, assembled during a lifetime of omnivorous collecting, as well as unfinished building projects in Windsor and London.

Join Tim Knox, Director of the Royal Collection, as he traces the afterlife of George IV’s myriad collections and building projects, and reveals how his sometimes-reluctant heirs coped with his prodigious legacy.

About the Speaker: Tim Knox was appointed Director of the Royal Collection by Queen Elizabeth II in 2018. Prior to that he was Director and Marlay Curator of the Fitzwilliam Museum, where he made a number of important acquisitions and planned the Museum's masterplan. He was Director of Sir John Soane’s Museum in London between 2005 and 2013, where he restored Sir John Soane’s glittering architectural treasury to its appearance in 1837, just as its founder wished, and converted the neighbouring houses to provide facilities for the museum. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and Co-Patron of the Mausolea and Monuments Trust, which he helped found.

Dame Rosalind Savill Memorial Lecture

Dame Rosalind Savill was Director of the Wallace Collection from 1992 to 2011. With great energy and tenacity, she brought vital change to the museum, transforming it from an undervisited institution into a cultural landmark.

In memory of Dame Rosalind's profound contribution to the study of French decorative arts – and in the spirit of her passion for sharing her knowledge with the public – the annual Dame Rosalind Savill Memorial Lecture enables a leading scholar to share new insights into the world of 18th-century French arts and culture and the history of collecting.

This lecture is made possible thanks to Adrian Sassoon, a donation in memory of Cynthia Postan and the support of an anonymous donor.