Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts

Royal Collection Trust; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Hybrid working

Pension plan 15%

Complimentary lunch on-site

Employee discounts

Job summary

Royal Collection Trust is seeking an Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts to support the Surveyor of The King's Works of Art and the Senior Curator in researching and presenting an expansive decorative arts collection. You will work across locations, contributing to exhibitions, cataloguing, and public engagement.

You will develop specialist knowledge, publish research, and collaborate with Conservators, Collections Management, and learning teams to interpret material culture for diverse

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of materials and techniques within the decorative arts.
• In-depth knowledge of Art History, especially European decorative arts from 1600 to the modern day, with curatorial experience.

Responsibilities

• Plan and deliver exhibitions, including object selection, interpretation, and publications.
• Conduct original research and maintain archival material to a high standard.
• Develop specialist knowledge and document works for internal records and Collection Online.
• Publish research through articles, online entries, and exhibition catalogues; assist with catalogues raisonnés.
• Support new displays across royal residences with Conservators and onsite teams.
• Deliver lectures, tours, and contribute to learning programmes and public engagement activities.
• Assist with inventory checks and cataloguing, and respond to public enquiries.

Skills

Art History

Research

Public engagement

Verbal communication

Organised

Teamwork

IT skills

Tools

MS Office

Collections management

Job description

It's helping to bring millions closer to extraordinary works of decorative art.

It's working with a shared and unique purpose, caring for and presenting one of the world's largest art collections. This is what makes working for Royal Collection Trust so special.

The Royal Collection is one of the world's most significant art collections, encompassing over a million objects spread across 13 royal residences in the UK.

As Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts, you will support the Surveyor of The King's Works of Art and the Senior Curator of Decorative Arts in researching and presenting an impressive array of decorative arts, including furniture, ceramics, metalwork, sculpture, textiles, and arms and armour.

Working across various locations, you will help interpret the decorative arts of the Royal Collection, ensuring high standards of scholarship and presentation, while developing your own specialist expertise.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the planning and delivery of exhibitions, including object selection, interpretation, and publications.
• Conduct original research into the decorative arts in the Royal Collection, maintaining historic and archival material to a high standard.
• Develop specialist knowledge in an area of the collection and document works accurately for internal records and Collection Online.
• Publish research through articles, online entries, and exhibition catalogues, and assist with catalogue raisonnés.
• Support the preparation of new displays across the royal residences, working collaboratively with Conservators, Collections Management, and onsite operational teams.
• Deliver lectures, talks, tours, and contribute to learning programmes, study days, conferences, and other public engagement activities.
• Act as a point of contact for public enquiries, supporting research visits and assisting with inventory checks and cataloguing.
• Contribute to wider team strategy and digital engagement, including writing social media posts and responding to queries from Royal Collection Trust followers.

About You:

• With a strong understanding of materials and techniques within the decorative arts, you bring a genuine enthusiasm for the subject and a desire to deepen your expertise.
• You have an in-depth knowledge of Art History, especially European decorative arts from 1600 to the modern day, supported by first-hand curatorial experience in one or more areas of the decorative arts.
• Your excellent written communication skills and attention to detail ensure high-quality research and documentation, while your clear and confident verbal communication enables you to engage a wide range of audiences.
• Organised and proactive, you can balance multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
• A strong teamwork ethic and collaborative approach, you will quickly be able to establish good working relationships with colleagues across the organisation.
• You’ll bring strong IT skills, including proficiency with collections management systems and MS Office, enabling you to support research, cataloguing, and presentation work to a high standard.

What We Offer:

We know that to deliver our best work; we need to feel at our best. That's why at the Royal Household we offer a generous benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and life priorities.

• Enjoy 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days pro rata (plus bank holidays) dependent on the length of time you have worked for us.
• Flexible and hybrid working varies across different roles, and we'll discuss the options available to you that will suit both your job requirements and individual preferences.
• Our excellent non-contributory pension plan (we'll contribute 15% and you can contribute more if you wish) is highly valued by our employees, as is complimentary lunch on-site to keep you fuelled throughout the day.
• We also offer a range of leave options to support your life priorities, such as parental pay and leave and volunteering days, as well as benefits to support your physical and mental wellbeing.
• Other perks include 20% off at our Royal Collection Trust Shops and complimentary admission tickets across all our locations, along with many more exclusive employee discounts.

Find out more about the full range of benefits available to our employees here.