A 1789 masterpiece by Matthew William Peters, rediscovered and restored
In the last few months a masterpiece that once hung in Charleville Castle has gone on display in the Beaverbrook Gallery in New Brunswick, Canada, described as a “priceless relic and touchstone to history,” it is a 1789 masterpiece by Matthew William Peters portraying the christening of Princess Elizabeth as described in the last scene of the last act of William Shakespeare’s last play, Henry VIII.
Such an important part of history, not only for the castle but in general, was nearly lost due to vandalism and neglect. It is very fortunate that Graham Gordon has had the will and resources to spend the time to restore this painting back to it’s former glory rather than leaving it to crumble or cutting out sections of the painting to restore individually.
We hope some day that this painting, or even a replica, will grace Charleville Castle with it’s majesty once more.
More information about the paintings road to restoration can be found on the Beaver Brook Art Gallery website – http://beaverbrookartgallery.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/hardly-the-royal-road/
