Visitors can try drawing themselves using free materials and take inspiration from the historic works on display.
14:46, 17 Oct 2025Updated 14:47, 17 Oct 2025
Over 80 Italian Renaissance drawings, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian, will be shown in Scotland(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)
Drawings by some of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian, are to go on public display in Scotland for the first time.
More than 80 works by 57 artists will be exhibited at The King’s Gallery in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, from Friday, October 17, 2025. Of these, 45 drawings are being shown in Scotland for the first time as part of the Drawing the Italian Renaissance exhibition.
The exhibition explores the wide variety of drawings produced during this period, from preparatory sketches for paintings and altarpieces to designs for sculpture and highly finished works intended as gifts.
Lauren Porter, curator of the exhibition, said: “This is a remarkable opportunity to share so many of the Italian Renaissance drawings from the Royal Collection, with over half being shown in Scotland for the first time.
The exhibition features Italian Renaissance drawings, ranging from initial sketches for paintings and sculptures to completed works created as gifts.(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)
“As works on paper cannot be permanently displayed for conservation reasons, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity for visitors to view these drawings up close, giving a unique insight into the minds of the great artists who made them.”
Among the highlights is one of Leonardo’s anatomical studies, drawn from a real-life dissection. His study of a male torso in pen and ink, likely based on a wax model, is on display in Scotland for the first time.
The exhibition also juxtaposes Michelangelo’s grotesque sketches with Leonardo’s classical studies, creating striking contrasts.
One example is Michelangelo’s distorted and tormented face of a mask, placed near Leonardo’s red and black chalk drawing of a curly-haired young man, emphasising the different approaches of the two masters.
Following its debut in London, where it received critical acclaim, the exhibition in Edinburgh features Bernardino Campi’s cartoon for an altarpiece of the Virgin and Child for the first time in Scotland.
The large-scale drawing, made from four joined sheets of paper, was originally used to transfer the design onto a painting. It underwent almost 120 hours of conservation work by Royal Collection Trust conservators ahead of the London display.
In a first for The King’s Gallery, the exhibition will also host an artist residency in collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art.
Edinburgh-based artists Phoebe Leach and Dette Allmark, both alumni of the school, will respond to the Renaissance masterpieces by creating new works in the gallery throughout the exhibition.
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Visitors are encouraged to engage with the residency and try drawing for themselves, with materials provided freely to allow anyone to experiment and take inspiration from the historic works on display.
The exhibition runs every Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from October 17, 2025 to March 1, 2026. Adult tickets are £11.00, young person tickets (ages 18-24) are £7.00, and child tickets (ages 5-17) and disabled person tickets are £5.50.
Access companions and children under five can enter for free. A £1 ticket is also available for those on Universal Credit and other named benefits.
Tickets are available for adults, children, families, and groups of 15 or more.