EDINBURGH.- Portraits by Frans Hals, Titian and Parmigianino last shown in Scotland over a decade ago are among eight of the finest paintings from Buckingham Palace on display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Italian, Dutch & Flemish Paintings: Highlights from Buckingham Palace is a temporary display of 16th- and 17th-century paintings included in a visit to the official Scottish royal residence. The display provides an opportunity for visitors to see some of the greatest paintings in the Royal Collection while a rehang of the Picture Gallery of Buckingham Palace – where the paintings can usually be seen – takes place.

Emma Stead, Curator at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, said: ‘These paintings are masterful examples of artistic skill from some of the most innovative periods of European art. We are delighted that visitors to the Palace of Holyroodhouse can now see these beautiful works, which usually capture the imagination of visitors to Buckingham Palace. Our newly permanent scheme of £1 tickets for visitors receiving Universal Credit and other benefits means more people than ever can visit the Palace and enjoy this exciting display.’

A highlight is Portrait of a Man by the Dutch painter Frans Hals, who was celebrated in his lifetime for his exceptional ability to capture expression and the variety of his brushwork. During the 17th century, members of the increasingly powerful patrician class were eager to display their newfound wealth with portraits. The sitter here has a striking sense of presence, created with a blend of confident brushstrokes and painterly textures. It was last on public display in Scotland 13 years ago.

Spanning a 150-year period, the display showcases paintings that are each an exceptional example of their kind. The oldest work is a brooding portrait by Titian of Jacopo Sannazaro, a prominent scholar and court poet to King Ferdinand I of Naples, completed in c.1514. Titian’s ability to capture a sense of character in his portraiture was especially admired, and the depiction of Sannazaro – shown lost in thought with a finger marking his place in a red leather book – indicates an educated sitter.

At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1642, Charles I owned one of Europe’s most important collections of Italian Renaissance and early Baroque art, but this was sold off during the Commonwealth. Upon his Restoration to the throne, Charles II set about reassembling it, and a painting thought to have been reacquired by him is Cristofano Allori’s Judith with the Head of Holofernes – an especially fine early example of a biblical subject that became one of Allori’s best-known and most copied compositions.

Another painting likely acquired during the reign of Charles II is Portrait of a Young Nobleman by the Italian painter Parmigianino. The young man’s unusual, twisted pose drawing attention to his face and outstretched hand was particularly innovative for this date and the contrast between the high degree of finish in the face and the blurred hands and background are typical of the artist’s portraiture.

A leading artist from a town near Bologna, Guercino’s paintings were sought after by many international patrons and collectors, including Charles I – who unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to come to England. Guercino’s use of richly contrasting oranges and pinks against blue in The Libyan Sibyl, a study of one of the twelve prophetesses said to have foretold the coming of Christ, adds grace and elegance to the scene.

The Royal Collection has one of the finest holdings of 17th-century Dutch paintings in the world, mainly formed by George IV, who collected portraits, landscapes and genre scenes by artists including Aelbert Cuyp and Pieter de Hooch – whose A Courtyard in Delft at Evening: A Woman Spinning features in the display. De Hooch was a contemporary of Vermeer, and the two artists developed a distinctive style of everyday scenes of Delft treated with extraordinary care. De Hooch’s faithful depiction of the architecture of the Dutch city is perhaps testament to growing up as a master bricklayer’s son.

The Dutch Golden Age, as it became known, saw advances in painting that coincided with the nation's growing influence in international politics and commerce. Foremost Dutch landscape painter Aelbert Cuyp’s large depiction of a busy ‘passage boat’, or ferry, taking people between Dordrecht and Rotterdam, captures in great detail the bustling daily life of the 17th-century Dutch Republic.

On public display in Scotland just once before, 18 years ago, is Interior of a Farmhouse with Figures (‘The Stolen Kiss’) by the Flemish artist David Teniers the Younger. A lively scene of a farmer bursting into his farmhouse to catch a labourer misbehaving with his daughter, it is a fine example in the tradition of comedic scenes of unruly peasants with a moral undertone.

The works are on display in the 17th-century, wood-panelled exhibition space within the Palace and can be seen by visitors in addition to the other outstanding works throughout the State Apartments, such as the magnificent portrait of Charles II by John Michael Wright.

More Italian art, including a striking pen study of dogs by Parmigianino, can be seen in the Drawing the Italian Renaissance exhibition at The King’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse until 8 March 2026. It is the widest-ranging exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings in Scotland for over half a century.