Name: Rubens ceiling
Start: 2023-07-17T12:00
End: 2033-07-17T12:00
Location: Banqueting House

A unique masterpiece from the golden age of painting

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When

Open days and Members-only days

Important information

Included in palace admission (Members go free)

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Things to see

Marvel at the painted ceiling of the Banqueting House - the only surviving ceiling painting by Flemish artist, Sir Peter Paul Rubens, that can be viewed in its original position.

A celebrated artist, Rubens' paintings showcased a theatrical flair that made him the perfect choice for the Banqueting Hall.

The canvases were installed in the hall in 1636. The three main canvasses depict The Union of the Crowns, The Apotheosis of James I and VI and The Peaceful Reign of James I and VI.

The ceiling was probably commissioned by Charles I in 1629-30. It was one of the King's last sights before his execution on a scaffold outside the Banqueting Hall in 1649.

"I confess that I am, by natural instinct, better fitted to execute very large works than small curiosities."

Sir Peter Paul Rubens in a 1621 letter to James I and VI's agent

A measurement mishap

Rubens was not deterred by the large scale of his commission. Indeed, the ceiling canvasses are large - individually, two of them measure 28 x 20ft (approximately 9 x 6m) and two others measure 40 x 10ft (approximately 13 x 3m).

When the canvases were first unrolled on the floor, Inigo Jones and Rubens' assistants realised with mounting horror that they were too big to fit in the ceiling.

Although both Belgium and England measured in feet and inches, each country used a different length for a foot. Drastic moderations had to be made on site to make them fit.

It appears that Rubens never saw his works inside the Banqueting House. He wrote to a friend, "In as much as I have a horror of courts, I sent my work to England in the hands of someone else."

After an initial two-year delay, Rubens received £3,000 (the equivalent of £218,000 today) and a heavy gold chain as payment for his work.

Close-up of The Apotheosis of James I and VI on the ceiling of Banqueting House, by Peter Paul Rubens — *Image: The Apotheosis of King James I and VI. Cherubs and angels surround the King, being carried to heaven as he looks upwards with tears in his eyes. © Historic Royal Palaces*

What is the symbolism behind these paintings?

Detail view of 'The Union of the Crowns' Banqueting House ceiling by Peter Paul Rubens. — Image: The Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland by Peter Paul Rubens. James I and VI leans forward as if in judgement from his throne, with a gesture as of acceptance towards a naked child, symbolising the newly-born union between his northern and southern kingdoms. © Historic Royal Palaces

These vast paintings were designed to celebrate James I and VI’s reign and uphold the ‘divine right of kings’, which was championed by the Stuart monarchy.

Mythology and symbolism were used to convey important moments, from the King’s ascension to the throne to the Union of England and Scotland. When viewed from below, these larger-than-life scenes appear as if from the heavens.

Learn more about the symbolism used in the ceiling paintings on Google Arts and Culture.

View on Google Arts and Culture

Preserving the ceiling

Follow our conservators as they examine Rubens' ceiling during conservation work completed in 2018 in this short film.

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