Whitehall Group

The Pardo Venus, by Titian, now Louvre, 196 x 385 cm. This was presented to Charles by the King of Spain on his trip there in 1623.

The Whitehall group (or less frequently, Whitehall Circle) is a term applied to a small circle of art connoisseurs, collectors, and patrons, closely associated with King Charles I, who introduced a taste for the Italian old masters to England. The term usually includes the advisors and agents who facilitated the group's acquisition of works of art.