The office of the Surveyor of the King's/Queen's Pictures, in the Royal Collection Department of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, is responsible for the care and maintenance of the royal collection of pictures owned by the Sovereign in an official capacity – as distinct from those owned privately and displayed at Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle and elsewhere. The office has only been full-time since 1972. It now operates in a professional capacity with a staff of a dozen people.

Although the office dates from 1625, during the reign of Charles I (a noted art connoisseur), there has always been someone responsible for pictures in the Royal Household. Notable recent office-holders have included Sir Lionel Cust (1901–1927), Sir Kenneth Clark (1934–1944), Professor Anthony Blunt (1945–1972), one of the Cambridge Five Soviet spies, and Sir Oliver Millar (1972–1988). The current surveyor is Anna Reynolds, who was appointed in December 2023. She is the first woman to hold the position.

The previous surveyor was Desmond Shawe-Taylor, who held the post from 2005 to 2020. The post of Surveyor of the King's Pictures was in abeyance until 3 December 2023.

List of Surveyors of the King's/Queen's Pictures Abraham van der Doort 1625–1640 George Geldorp 1660– Thomas Chiffinch 1660–1666 William Chiffinch 1666–1688 Gerrit van Uylenburgh 1676–1679 Parry Walton 1679–1690 (officially to 1701) Henry Norris 1682– Frederick Sonnius 1690–1701 Peter Walton c.1690–1745 (officially from 1701) Stephen Slaughter 1745–1765 George Knapton 1765–1778 Richard Dalton 1778–1791 Benjamin West 1791–1820 William Seguier 1820–1843 Sir Augustus Wall Callcott 1843–1844 Thomas Uwins 1844–1856 Richard Redgrave 1856–1880 Sir John Charles Robinson 1880–1901 Sir Lionel Cust 1901–1927 C. H. Collins Baker 1928–1934 Sir Kenneth Clark 1934–1944 Sir Anthony Blunt 1945–1973 Sir Oliver Millar 1972–1988 Christopher Lloyd 1988–2005 Desmond Shawe-Taylor 2005–2020 Anna Reynolds 2023–

References

Further reading

External links About the Royal Collection – official website