Drawing on the Renaissance

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Drawing on the Renaissance

17 October, 2025 to 01 March, 2026


The King's Palace
Palace of Holyroodhouse, Canongate, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH8 8DX

The Renaissance period saw a dramatic transformation in the way that artists worked, with a new-found appreciation for creativity pushing artistic boundaries. Drawing became central to this development, evolving from an essential tool of workshop practice to an exciting art form in its own right.

This exhibition brings together a wide range of drawings from this revolutionary artistic period, including 45 drawings never exhibited in Scotland before. 

Exploring the diversity and accomplishment of drawing across Italy between 1450 and 1600, the exhibition will feature around 80 works by over 50 artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian alongside lesser-known artists, all drawn from the Royal Collection, which holds one of the world’s greatest collections of Italian Renaissance drawings.