![[London Art Tours - National Gallery, Tower Bridge, London Eye, Tate Modern]](http://www.londonarttours.co.uk/images/image/latheader.gif)
|
|
|
|
The Wallace CollectionManchester Square, W1.tel: 020-7563 9500 www.wallacecollection.org tube: Bond Street/Baker Street Mon - Sat 10:00 - 17:00. Sun 12:00 - 17:00 admission: free (charges for temporary exhibitions) |
![[The Wallace Collection]](http://www.londonarttours.co.uk/images/image/wallacecoll.gif) |
|
Once described as a "confection" of French art, the Wallace Collection will transport you from the bustle of nearby Oxford Street into the glitter and dazzle of a Parisian mansion. The 4th Marquess of Hertford lived mainly in Paris and when he died, unmarried, he left his collection to his natural son, Sir Richard Wallace who brought it to London and to Hertford House. In 1897 Lady Wallace bequeathed the collection to the nation on condition that nothing ever be added to it or removed from it. Especially rich in paintings, furniture and porcelain from France, the collection also includes European arms and armour and the Long Gallery must contain one of the greatest concentrations of masterpiece paintings in any single room in London. In atmosphere the Wallace Collection is very much like the Frick Collection in New York and the rooms display the voracious appetite of the art collector. Such eclecticism makes this feel more of a home than an art gallery. The collection of Sèvres porcelain is said to be the finest on public display in the world. Though renowned for its French art, the list of major paintings below will show just how extensive is the Wallace Collection, including what could be described as Britain's "Mona Lisa": Hals's "Laughing Cavalier". It was rare for the same sitter to be painted by both Reynolds and Gainsborough but here you will be able to compare a portrait of the actress Mrs Robinson not only by those two artists but also by Romney. There is also one of the finest Poussins in London.
|
|