Lectures Members may apply to the Membership Secretary for PRIOR PERMISSION to bring one guest to two meetings per year. Restrictions will apply to numbers using the hall. Guests must be booked in by the Monday prior to the lecture. A fee of £5 is charged for each guest. All society lectures start at 11.00am at the Victoria Hall. There is no meeting in July 28 August 2025 LUCY HUGHES-HALLET George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham – the Handsomest Man in Europe and Patron of the Arts A king's favourite who amassed a great art collection. George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, was the favourite of King James I - who addressed him as ‘my sweet child and wife’ - and subsequently chief minister to King Charles I. Buckingham was a beauty, and he surrounded himself with beautiful things. He enjoyed exquisite clothes, like the fabulous white silk suit encrusted with diamonds that he wore to visit the Queen of France. He was a superb dancer. When he cut capers during a court masque King James startled visiting ambassadors by shouting out ‘By God, George, I love you!’ George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. Public domain Followed by the summer lunch Venue to be confirmed. 25 September 2025 RUPERT DICKENS Rembrandt’s hand: a question of attribution What makes a genuine Rembrandt? This question has dogged museums and art historians since the great Dutch master’s reputation soared to prominence at the end of the 19th century. The Rembrandt Research Project tried for nearly five decades to pare down the painter’s oeuvre, using the latest technology and a barrage of experts. But a backlash in the 1990s cause many disavowed Rembrandts to be put back on the list. This lecture charts the ebb and flow of Rembrandt attribution and tries to answer the question: who decides? Science or the subjective eye of the connoisseur. Philosopher in Meditation (or Interior with Tobit and Anna) by Rembrandt Louvre, Paris Preceded by the AGM 23 October 2025 ANNALIE TALENT Becoming Jane Austen: The Birth of a Literary Superstar I write only for fame… Jane Austen Detail of a portrait of Jane Austen. From a watercolour by James Andrews of Maidenhead based on an unfinished work by Cassandra Austen. Public domain The start of the new membership year 2025/26 27 November 2025 MARIE-ANNE MANCIO The History of American Art in 25 iconic works To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in America, explore 25 iconic works including Grant Wood’s ‘American Gothic,’ Dorothea Lange’s ‘Migrant Mother,’ Hopper’s ‘Nighthawks,’ of American art. Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, 1942, Edward Hopper. Public domain