Inspiring art at the Queen's House

The ‘Armada Portrait’ of Elizabeth I 

Wearing a pearl-encrusted dress and with her hand resting on a terrestrial globe, Queen Elizabeth I is portrayed as a spectacle of female power and majesty.   

While the identity of the artist is unknown, the painting was made to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 – the most famous conflict of Elizabeth’s reign.   

To the left of Elizabeth, the English fleet and the approaching Spanish Armada can be seen. To her right, the Armada is being wrecked in a storm.   

The portrait was acquired by Royal Museums Greenwich in 2016 following a nationwide funding appeal.

Greenwich Hospital from the north bank of the Thames 

Best known for his Venetian cityscapes, Canaletto spent several years in England. In 1746, he moved to London and produced views of the capital’s landmarks and estates of the English aristocracy.    

This view of Greenwich was thought to have been made in around 1750-52. Beyond the bustle of boats on the Thames stands the white double frontage of the recently completed Greenwich Hospital (today the Old Royal Naval College). In the distance, the Queen’s House and the Royal Observatory can be seen. 

James, Duke of York, 1633-1701

Dressed in gleaming golden armour, an embroidered silk cloak and jewelled sandals, James, Duke of York (later King James II) is shown as Mars, the Roman god of war in this flamboyant portrait.

A fleet of ships in the top left-hand corner provide a nod to James’s status as Lord High Admiral during the reign of his elder brother, King Charles II.    

This oil painting was created in around 1672-73 by the French painter, Henri Gascar. James came to the throne over ten years later, in 1685, but was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.   

Olaudah Equiano – African, slave, author, abolitionist

Made by artist Christy Symington, this sculpture depicts Olaudah Equiano, a key figure in the abolitionist campaign.   

Born into what is now south-east Nigeria, Equiano was sold into slavery around the age of 11. He eventually bought his freedom and documented his experiences in his autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, one of the first books in Europe by a Black African writer.  

Equiano’s role as an abolitionist is referenced through the broken chains and shackles that wind around the sculpture. The shape that forms the back of his shoulders implies the continent of Africa.  

The Battle of Scheveningen, 10 August 1653

The clamour and chaos of battle is vividly rendered in this detailed work by marine artist Willem van de Velde the Elder. It is an example of a ‘pen painting’, van de Velde’s trademark drawing style made using pen and ink washes. 

Here, van de Velde depicts an altercation between the English and Dutch fleet at the Battle of Scheveningen in 1653 – the last battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War.

Van de Velde frequently accompanied Dutch fleets into battle, sketching the action from a small boat. 

In the bottom left of the work, van de Velde has drawn himself into the painting, depicted as a seated figure holding a drawing block and a pencil.

The Parting Cheer 

Sorrow and jubilation are juxtaposed in this 19th-century painting by artist Henry Nelson O’Neil.   

Set along the Thames, the scene portrays the departure of a ship (most likely bound for North America) and the grieving families and friends left behind. Throughout the Victorian era, millions of British people emigrated to start new lives in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  

On the quayside, groups of figures from all social classes congregate. A young street fruit seller clutches a basket of oranges and gazes wistfully at the ship, while a woman in a purple shawl comforts a widow in black mourning dress.  

Asabikeshiinh Aeris (Bronze dreamcatcher) 

This arresting bronze sculpture of a turritella seashell was acquired by Royal Museums Greenwich in 2021. It was made by Rowan Mersh, a multi-media artist known for his freestanding sculptures and large-scale wall pieces.  

A fusion of traditional craft and new technologies, the piece provides a nod to the artistic legacy of shell craft work, many examples of which are in Royal Museums Greenwich’s collections. 

Captain Frederick Cornewall, 1706-88 

In 2022, a missing masterpiece by Thomas Gainsborough was discovered in Royal Museums Greenwich’s collections. 

A founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts, Gainsborough was one of the most important British artists of the 18th century. 

The long-lost work depicts naval officer, Captain Frederick Cornewall, who had recently retired from active service when he sat for this portrait.

This work showcases Gainsborough’s skill and dexterity. Look closely to see how he has used rapid, flickering brushstrokes to capture the details of Cornewall’s careworn face and delicate lace cuff. 

Following a successful public appeal in 2023, this historic painting underwent conservation prior to display. 

William and Catherine Kerr

A story of love, loss and reunion, these portraits of married couple, Commodore the Honourable William Kerr and Catherine Kerr have been united once more, after nearly 40 years apart.

Painted by artist Michael Dahl, the artworks are examples of pendant portraits – pictures that were made to hang as a pair.

While the sitters are in different settings – William is posed in front of a rocky seashore, and Catherine is depicted against a backdrop of classical architecture – there is a continuity of colours between the paintings.

In 1982, the portraits were sold as separate lots at an auction. William’s portrait was acquired for Royal Museums Greenwich. Following a four-decade separation, the Museum was able to acquire Catherine’s portrait in 2019.

Henry VIII, 1491-1547

Exuding authority and majesty, this commanding portrait of Henry VIII has become the definitive likeness of the famous Tudor monarch.

Created by the studio of Hans Holbein the Younger, Henry is shown wearing an embroidered gold doublet, a red coat with fur trimming and a black bejewelled hat. Around his neck he wears a pendant depicting St George and the Dragon – a symbol of national identity.

This work shows Henry in his late 40s – around the time he married his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, at Greenwich. Henry was born at Greenwich Palace and enlarged it considerably during his lifetime.

A convoy, 1918

Complete with foaming waves and a deep blue sky, this painting by artist John Everett depicts a convoy of merchant ships during World War One.  

The ships are covered in ‘dazzle painting’ – a type of camouflage developed by the marine artist Norman Wilkinson. This involved painting the ships in contrasting colours and geometric shapes – arranged in zebra-like patterns – to create a distorted effect. This would confuse enemy vessels about the size, outline, course and speed of a ship. 

Following his death in 1949, Everett bequeathed more than 2,000 of his marine paintings to the National Maritime Museum, from seascapes to deck scenes. 

Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Cornish, Captain Richard Kempenfelt and Thomas Parry 

This work by artist Tilly Kettle captures a meeting between two naval officers and a clerk on an 18th-century British warship.  

Seated to the right of the work, Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Cornish issues orders to flag captain Richard Kempenfelt, who stands at the left-hand side. Between them sits Cornish’s secretary and the commissioner of this painting, Thomas Parry, who holds a quill. 

Produced in 1768, this work was regarded as Kettle’s masterpiece. After struggling to break into London’s art scene, Kettle relocated his business to India, where he became the first British artist to run a profitable practice. 

This painting was acquired for Royal Museums Greenwich in 2021 with support from Art Fund and the Society for Nautical Research Macpherson Collection Endowment Fund. 

View of Deptford Power Station from Greenwich 

Known for his industrial artworks, L.S. Lowry painted very few pictures of London. Here, he has used colour sparingly to great effect.

The Thames and sky are rendered using thickly applied white paint – a technique known as impasto – which is contrasted with the depth of blacks for the vessels and the chimney smoke.

Deptford Power Station was built in the 1890s but was demolished less than 100 years later.

Queen Henrietta Maria, 1609-69

Dressed in a grey silk overdress complete with a fleur-de-lys brooch and pearl necklace, Queen Henrietta Maria turns away from the viewer in this work by leading court artist, Anthony van Dyck.

In 1636-37, Van Dyck created a triple portrait of Henrietta Maria’s husband, King Charles I. The artwork was used to create a marble bust, made by sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

An avid collector and patron of the arts, Henrietta Maria wished to commission a companion bust of herself. This work was one of three profiles made by Van Dyck in preparation for the bust.

Henrietta Maria played a crucial role in the development of the Queen’s House and oversaw Inigo Jones’s completion of the building in the 1630s, following the death of Anne of Denmark. Make sure to take in the spectacular ceilings created for her in the King's and Queen's Presence Chambers, and look out for her name and initials in the decoration throughout the House.

View of Greenwich and the Queen’s House from the south-east

Complete with rolling parkland, pastel skies and the meandering River Thames, this painting of Greenwich is one of tranquillity.

Created in around 1670 by Dutch artist Hendrick Danckerts – the court painter to King Charles II – the work is filled with intriguing details. Towards the left of the painting sits the Queen’s House, with the old Woolwich Road passing through it. This thoroughfare once connected the royal dockyards at Woolwich and Deptford.

At the top of the hill, a figure can be seen sketching, thought to be Danckerts himself.

The Boat Builder’s Yard, Cancale, Brittany 

A young girl stares pensively into the distance in this working scene on the north-west coast of France. Wearing traditional local dress, she is surrounded by the tools and detritus of the boat builder’s yard: pit-saws and side-axes lie on the wood shavings scattered across the ground. 

Behind her, the hull of a fishing boat under construction commands the viewer’s attention. This painting was made by Henry Herbert La Thangue, one of many English artists who worked along the coast of Brittany in the 1880s depicting subjects of ordinary working life. 

Captain Lord George Graham, 1715-47, in his Cabin

Wrapped in a fur-lined robe and smoking a long pipe, Captain Lord George Graham sits down to dinner with his friend, David Mallet. Set on board a naval ship, this painting is the work of the great satirist, artist, social critic and engraver William Hogarth.

It is thought that Graham’s friends commissioned this painting to lift the Captain’s spirits following a breakdown.

The piece is filled with amusing details, from the cook spilling gravy down Mallet’s back to a bewigged pug – a reference to the brotherly connection between Graham and Hogarth, who were both freemasons.

The Royal Observatory from Crooms Hill, about 1696

This lush vista of Greenwich Park and the surrounding areas has plenty to captivate the viewer. Dominating the skyline is Flamsteed House, the main building of the newly constructed Observatory.  

In 1675, Charles II ordered the construction of the Royal Observatory. He appointed John Flamsteed as the first Astronomer Royal, and tasked him with the challenge of finding longitude, which could be used to navigate at sea.  

The painting captures several Greenwich landmarks, including the Queen’s House, which is bisected by the walled Greenwich to Woolwich Road. In the distance, ships under construction can be seen in the River Thames.

Mary I of England, 1516-58 and Philip II of Spain, 1527-98

Richly dressed in black attire, Queen Mary I of England and King Philip II of Spain sit apart in this portrait attributed to Flemish artist, Lucas de Heere.  

In 1553, Mary I became Queen of England and Ireland. A year later, she married her first cousin Philip – a union that was opposed by her councillors. In this portrait, Philip wears the Order of the Garter, while Mary holds a rose, a reference to the Tudor heraldic symbol. Through the open window, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Thames can be glimpsed.