A new art gallery displaying works from the Royal Collection has opened at Hampton Court Palace.

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Occupying a newly-restored suite of rooms designed by William Kent for Georgian prince William Augustus, the Cumberland Art Gallery is at the heart of the palace where Tudor meets Baroque.

The rooms were the last major royal commission undertaken at the palace and will now house artwork and treasures depicting other royal residents of Hampton Court from the Tudor period to the middle of the 1700s. The royal palace has a long history of displaying works of art, with thousands of pieces still in their original locations and are a central part of the story of the royal residence.

The new gallery will allow art lovers to view and explore the artworks in a contained gallery setting.

Among the artwork displays, visitors will be able to view masterpieces by Holbein, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Bassano and Gainsborough.

Other artists who worked for royal patrons across four centuries will also have their works displayed.

The rooms which house the artwork are a reflection of the palace's Tudor past and one of the rooms is open to the public for the first time in 25 years.

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The room, the Duke of Cumberland's large light close, houses 12 smaller Grand Canal views of Venice painted by Canaletto at the height of his career.

A Hampton Court Palace spokesman said: "The state apartments at Hampton Court Palace have always been a natural setting for great works of art, collected by generations of royal patrons.

"The opening of the Cumberland Art Gallery offers the chance to appreciate a selection of treasures from the Royal Collection in a beautifully refurbished new space, and we look forward to sharing it our visitors in the coming weeks and months."

Entry to the gallery is included in the entrance price to the palace and is open from 10am to 4.30pm seven days a week.

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