Holbein to Hockney : Drawings from the Royal Collection

The Royal Library at Windsor Castle houses one of the world's greatest collections of drawings. Collected by individual monarchs over the last five centuries, they range from portraits by Hans Holbein, recorded in the collection on the death of King Henry VIII in 1547, to drawings by contemporary artists such as David Hockney, presented to and commissioned by The Queen during the current reign. The seventy-five drawings included here have been selected from every important group in the Royal Library, ranging from quick sketches to finished works of art, and include compositional studies, portraits, drawings from the model, landscapes and nature. The finest draftsmen of the last 500 years are represented, including Michelangelo, Raphael, Dürer, Claude, Van Dyck, Landseer and Sargent. This lavishly illustrated publication provides an insight into one of the finest collections of drawings in existence.

Martin Clayton is Deputy Curator of the Print Room at Windsor Castle.