Catholic tastes of a Protestant king: a sumptuous tribute to Charles I at the Royal Academy of Arts

In 1637 a bust of Charles I by Gianlorenzo Bernini arrived in England as a gift from Pope Urban VIII to Henrietta Maria. Charles’ marriage to this Catholic princess in 1625 had raised hopes in Rome of a reconciliation with the Church of England, and the Pope knew the way to this art-loving monarch’s heart.

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