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The Ceiling That Cost a King
The Ceiling That Cost a King
Peter Paul Rubens' masterpiece at the Banqueting House was the last thing Charles I saw before he stepped onto the scaffold.
Inside a "great white spaceship" in the heart of London, nine massive canvases by the celebrated Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens dominate the ceiling.
Join Andrew Graham-Dixon as he decodes these breathtaking paintings—a radical assertion of the "Divine Right of Kings" that stood in stark contrast to the King's tragic end.
In this film, we explore iconography the modern viewer might miss: from the "muscle behind the throne" in Hercules clubbing Envy, to the technical blunder that almost saw the canvases fail to fit. This is the story of the brilliance, the ego, and the ultimate tragedy of the Banqueting House.
Time Period:
17th century
Themes:
Born in London in 1960, Andrew Graham-Dixon is one of the leading art critics and presenters of arts television in the English-speaking world. He has presented numerous landmark series on art for the BBC and other independents. He has a long history of public service in the field of the visual arts and served various committees. Andrew is currently a member of the Blue Plaques panel.
In the course of his career, Andrew has won numerous awards for writing and broadcasting, and his achievements have been acclaimed by many of his most distinguished peers.
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