Collecting objects of interest was an activity encouraged by Queen Victoria and, in particular, Prince Albert as part of the education of their children.  This influence resulted in the acquisition of a series of objects which the Prince of Wales collected during his ‘Eastern Tour’, and which are still part of the Royal Collection today.

The young Prince acquired objects throughout his journey but the vast majority of antiquities are from two principal areas: Egypt and the island of Rhodes. While Egypt was one of the greatest powers of the ancient world, Rhodes, due to its geographical position, played an important commercial role, in particular from the eighth century BC.

The items acquired by the Prince in Rhodes include Corinthian and Attic pottery from mainland Greece; East Greek pottery created by Greek settlers along the western coast of modern Turkey and dominated by the so-called ‘Wild Goat style’ between c.650 and c.550 BC, as well as local products and local imitations of imported goods, mainly from Egypt and the Levant.