Famous Richard III portrait will ‘come home’ to region’s museum
THE WORLD famous late 16th century portrait of Richard III will go on display at the Yorkshire Museum as part of a new exhibition.
The painting, which has become synonymous with the depiction of the King, will be on loan from the National Portrait Gallery, London, in summer 2020.
It will be displayed alongside the museum’s collections associated with the King such as the Middleham Jewel, the Ryther Hoard and the Stillingfleet Boar Badge worn by one of his supporters.
The loan to the museum in York is part of the National Portrait Gallery’s nationwide Coming Home project, which takes some of the capital’s famous works to the place they are most closely associated with.
Lucy Creighton, curator of archaeology at Yorkshire Museum, said: “King Richard III was the last King of the House of York and he remains a well-loved figure in the city.
“It is fantastic to be working with the National Portrait Gallery on this project as it provides a rare opportunity to showcase this iconic piece of fine art alongside the Yorkshire Museum’s collections which includes one of the finest group of objects associated with Richard III in the country.
“We look forward to the arrival of the portrait in the summer and to be able to tell the story of Richard III and his connection to York in this new display.”
The Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund has supported the exhibition with a grant of £17,625.
The programme, established in 2017, is designed to fund and empower regional and smaller local authority museums to borrow major works of art from national collections.
A programme of events will run alongside the arrival of the loan.
York Museums Trust is also working in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery – which has collected portrait works since 1856 – to bring an exhibition to York Art Gallery in 2021, with more details to be released in the coming months.