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One-Minute Masterpieces

Most of the works in the exhibition Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace are securely dated and attributed; mostly we know which monarch bought them. But what makes them important? What do they still have to offer? What do you think makes a masterpiece?

In these one-minute videos, Royal Collection staff discuss their favourite paintings on show and how they can be understood from a particular perspective.

Rembrandt van Rijn
Agatha Bas

The use of paint

Rembrandt van Rijn
Self-Portrait in a Flat Cap

The status of the artist

Pieter de Hooch
Cardplayers in a Sunlit Room

Planning the canvas

Pieter de Hooch
Cardplayers in a Sunlit Room

Light and geometry

Parmigianino
Pallas Athene

Textures and symbols

Jacob van Ruisdael
Evening Landscape

Attention to detail

Jan Steen
A Woman at her Toilet

Sensual pleasures

Sir Peter Paul Rubens
The Farm at Laken

Peace, land and fertility


The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.