The King's Guard Chamber (Grand Reception Room). c. 1818

A watercolour depicting the King's Guard Chamber, a large room with trophies arranged on the walls, three windows at the end of room and a glazed octagonal lantern in the centre of the ceiling, decorated by Verrio in watercolour (not oil). There are five guards or yeomen sitting at end of room. Prepared for one of the plates in William Henry Pyne's 'History of the Royal Residences' (1816-1819). Engraved by T. Sutherland, the print published 1.2.1818.

Pyne's 'History of the Royal Residences' was a three-volume publication which encompassed a number of royal residences, including Windsor Castle (vol. 1) and Buckingham House (vol. 2), presenting 100 hand-coloured engravings of exteriors and interiors accompanied by descriptive texts. The 100 watercolours which were engraved for the publication survive in the Royal Library; these watercolours are exactly the size of the image on the printed plates, and may perhaps have been intended as colour guides for the artists responsible for hand-painting the monochrome prints.

Descriptive Medium: 'Pencil and watercolour'