Portland Collection: Glimpse of hidden treasures exhibition revealed

A 17th Century ebony and ivory map cabinet is among the items on display

Images of unseen historical objects - including the pearl earring worn by King Charles I at his execution - have been released ahead of an exhibition.

The collection - which also includes work by Michelangelo - will make up an exhibition that is to open at Welbeck Abbey, in Nottinghamshire, next year.

The objects were collected over 400 years by an aristocratic family.

The vast and varied collection was acquired over centuries by the Cavendish family.

The family has owned the Welbeck Estate since the 17th Century.

A painting of Lady Margaret Stuart, Countess of Nottingham, is one of many in the Portland Collection

The items from the Portland Collection include rare Tudor and Jacobean portraits, jewellery and tapestries.

The display, which is due to open on 25 March 2023, will allow visitors to see silver, tapestries, paintings and jewels as well as artworks that have "come home" after long-term loans to galleries elsewhere.

The exhibition will also include Michelangelo's Madonna of Silence.

Other highlights include a rarely-shown portrait of Lady Margaret Stuart, Countess of Nottingham, by Paul van Somer, which dates from about 1620 and shows her wearing an elaborate dress with an improbably plunging neckline, which experts said demonstrated her power and status.

These ornate silver wine fountains were made for William of Orange

Also on display will be a pair of monumental silver wine fountains by Adam Loofs, from about 1688, which were commissioned for William of Orange, later King of England.

Those behind the exhibition say old silver such as this is rare - most similar large pieces were melted down.

Lisa Gee, director of The Harley Foundation, said: "Historic portraits were almost always flattering, filtered images which are like the social media of their day.

"But behind the gleaming fabrics and jewels were fully-rounded individuals. Despite their starched clothing they were as human as we are."

The rare items on display include The Horsemanship Tapestries from 1660