Nicholas Lanier

the long version

There have been few more fascinating careers than that of Nicholas Lanier (1588-1666), Master of the Music to King Charles I, and the first to hold that office. Lanier was not only a notable composer, singer and virtuoso instrumentalist, he was also a practising painter, a friend of Rubens, Van Dyck and many other artists of his time, and one of the very first great art collectors and connoisseurs. He is especially remembered for the part he played in acquiring, on behalf of Charles I, the famous collection of paintings belonging to the Gonzaga family of Mantua. Many of these paintings still form an important part of the Royal Collection today. . In this book the different strands of Lanier's colourful life are for the first time drawn together and presented in a single compelling narrative.