Later Lectures
Treasurers of the Borghese Gallery
3 December 2025
Stuart Harvey
The Borghese Gallery houses what is arguably one of the greatest collections of art in the world. In the early 1600s Cardinal Scipio Borghese, the nephew of Pope Paul V, amassed an incredible collection of ancient sculptures and renaissance art, including Titian, Botticelli and Raphael. He also commissioned statues from Bernini and art works by Caravaggio and other contemporary artists of the day. Over the years the Borghese family have added to the collection all in a magnificent building designed by Cardinal Scipio solely for his collection.
The Queen Mother’s Lifelong Love of Jewellery
Digby Hall, Sherborne
Wednesday 5 November 2025
3 pm and 7 pm
Having had access to the jewels designated Heirlooms of the Crown and with a spectacular collection of her own, the Queen Mother had so much jewellery to choose from over the course of her long life that it would be almost impossible to describe it all. This lecture will chronicle her passion for jewels by concentrating on a selection of items which are of particular gemmological and historic interest …. and have an intriguing story attached.
Lecturer: Jeremy Mainwaring Burton
On leaving Durham University with a degree in geology I decided to join the Army. I then spent five years in the Irish Guards, the last two and a half of which were on secondment to Clarence House as the Queen Mother’s equerry. Being a geologist I couldn’t help but notice the magnificent gemstones in the Queen Mother’s jewellery. Indeed if I admired a piece she would sometimes take it off and give it to me to have a closer look. This inspired me to study gemmology and on leaving the Army I qualified as a Fellow of the Gemmological Association. Then, in addition to working as an exploration geologist in South Africa and a gold miner in California, I spent several years as a jewellery and precious stone dealer in London’s Hatton Garden. When the Queen Mother died in 2002 I helped open the Castle of Mey to the public and what was supposed to be a six-week appointment turned into six years. As a result I spent more time at the Castle of Mey than its royal owner ever did, and developed it as one of northern Scotland’s most popular tourist attractions
Earlier Lectures
Pots and Frocks
1 October 2025
Ian Swankie
Best known for his outlandish appearances dressed as his feminine alter ego, Claire, Sir Grayson Perry is now a core part of the art establishment. This lecture will examine his often controversial works of ceramics, textiles, tapestries and prints and the exciting and thought-provoking exhibitions plus the unique character inside those flamboyant frocks.
Architecture and Gardens of Mughal India
3 September 2025
John Stevens
Before the British arrived in India, the Indian subcontinent was ruled by the Mughal Emperors. The stunning buildings and gardens they constructed from the 16th-18th Century have left an indelible stamp on India’s architectural and cultural landscape. This lecture will take you on a tour of some of India’s greatest buildings from the Jama Masjid in Delhi to Taj Mahal in Agra, to the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore and provide insight into the historical contexts and colourful personalities involved in their construction.
Fauve – A Riot of Colour 1900-1910
2 July 2025
Julian Halsby
A Tale of Vanity Fair
At the 1905 Salon D’Automne Louis Vauxcelles saw a group of highly coloured paintings by a group of artists that so shocked him that he described them as “Wild Animals” – “Fauves”.
This group included Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck, Braque, Dufy, van Dongen, Marquet. The Fauves painted landscapes, seascapes, portraits, nudes and dancing figures, a wide range of subjects. By 1910 the Fauves had gone their own ways some achieving great fame and others less so. This was a wonderful period of art, canvases full of life, colour, brilliance and bravura.
4 June 2025
Sarah Cove
Until 2019, when it was brought to Sarah for cleaning and restoration, the whereabouts of one of Constable’s finest paintings, a portrait of his neighbour in Charlotte Street, Mrs Emily Treslove, was unknown. Following ‘the discovery’ of Emily’s painting its companion, a portrait of Emily’s husband, Thomas Treslove came to light. Along with the portraits Sarah discovered Emily had written a diary and Sarah’s lecture will reveal the story of wealth, vanity, fashion and politics of the ‘nouveau riche’ in the early 19th century
Life on a Harp String
7 May 2025
Margaret Watson
This lecture will cover the 5000-year history of this fascinating instrument. Boasting over 1400 working parts we will learn how the complex pedal mechanism was introduced and perfected and Margaret will also play her harp for this unique musical journey.
Finn Juhl
2 April 2025
James Vaux
In the 1950’s Finn Juhl was one of the most celebrated architects and designers in the world but 30 years later he had fallen into obscurity. Today he is recognized as one of the giants of mid-century design. What was behind this extraordinary reversal in fortune and what does it tell us about the vagaries of artistic success more generally?
John Singer Sargeant
5 March 2025
Gavin Plumley
Whether drawing duchesses or portraying princes, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was high society’s leading portraitist. Flaunting a consummate technique, his luxurious canvases mirrored his subjects’ wealth. Yet beneath the dazzling works lurks a much rawer world by far. This talk charts his life and prolific output showing that, like the era he came to represent, Sargent was always on the cusp of seismic change.
5 February 2025
Wilde about Oscar
Simon Whitehouse
Oscar Wilde: writer, wit and the first modern celebrity. From his childhood in Ireland to his artistic circle in Chelsea and glittering West End first nights, to the criminal trial of the age, we chart Oscar’s extraordinary journey and discuss his enduring appeal and legacy.