Elizabeth I's visit to vanished Nonsuch Palace captured in newly displayed drawing

"An early drawing of King Henry VIII's lost Nonsuch Palace has gone on display in the British Museum. The drawing, by Joris Hoefnagel, shows Queen Elizabeth I arriving at Nonesuch Palace and was drawn during a visit to England in 1568, and is on display as part of a free exhibition of early Netherlandish drawings."

"Unlike Italy, where the taste for collecting drawings in the 1500s ensured that more works from previous centuries were preserved, early Netherlandish works on paper are much rarer, so this exhibition is a rare chance to see such a wide range of early drawings on display together."

"One seemingly ordinary sketch of what would pass for a museum is actually the earliest known view of the Vatican's classical sculpture gallery, while a rather peculiar image of a woman with a sword through her neck is an allegory for the Seven Sins - of anger."

"Following a chronological narrative, the show explores early workshop drawings through to highly finished compositions as independent works of art. All told, there are over 100 sketches on display, and the variety makes it somewhat more interesting to visit, as there's quite a lot of different genres to choose from."

An early drawing by Joris Hoefnagel shows Queen Elizabeth I arriving at Henry VIII’s lost Nonsuch Palace and was drawn during a visit to England in 1568. The British Museum presents a free exhibition of early Netherlandish drawings featuring major pre-1600 artists such as Rogier van der Weyden, Lucas van Leyden, Pieter Bruegel the elder, and Hendrick Goltzius. Early Netherlandish works on paper are rare, making the display of over 100 sketches notable. The collection spans religious subjects, landscapes, and occasional portraits, and it follows a chronological path from workshop drawings to finished compositions. Notable works include the earliest known view of the Vatican’s classical sculpture gallery and an allegory for the Seven Sins. The exhibition runs until 20 September 2026 in Room 90 on the fourth floor at the back of the museum.

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