Recently wonder | wander | women were lucky enough to introduce some beloved relatives to one of their favourite museums, the Wallace Collection.
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| Wallace Collection entrance. Photo by Anthony O'Neil via Wikipedia |
The Wallace Collection is an astonishing collection of art begun by the first Marquess of Hertford, brought together by four generations of Marquesses and Sir Richard Wallace, private secretary of the fourth Marquess - and his illegitimate son.
Sir Richard Wallace was a philanthropist, building parks and high schools in Britain as well as fountains to dispense fresh water to the poor in Paris. But his largest contribution was the family collection at Hertford House, donated by his widow and opened to the public in 1900 as the Wallace Collection.
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| The Wallace Restaurant |
We began with lunch in the tearoom, a beautiful conservatory famous for its afternoon tea service.
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| via Wikipedia |
The collection boasts paintings by European masters like Rembrandt, Rubens, Velasquez and Canaletto, and a vast collection of 18th century furnishings, ceramics and sculpture.
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| Landscape with Rainbow, Peter Paul Rubens |
Most of the paintings are displayed in the Great Gallery, but there are many others throughout the house. One room was full of paintings of Venice by Canaletto and his admirers.
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| View of the Bacino di San Marco from San Giorgio Maggiore, Canaletto |
The rooms are magnificently furnished in Baroque style, one of the most important collections of French decor in the UK.
The ceramics collection is impressive too - cabinets full of Sèvres and Meissen porcelain. Our favourite was the Sèvres globe inkstand and this Italian one from Urbino.
Small sculptures set on the cabinets around the room seem to be going through their own mysterious stories, lost in a world and time of their own.
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| Sleeping Bacchante, attributed to Joseph Broche |
The armoury is one of the most impressive sections of the Wallace. Sir Richard Wallace amassed a collection enough for a private army, from medieval weapons to modern (at the time) flintlock pistols, including two that belonged to the Sun King himself!
There were even full displays of armour for medieval knights, with their horses kitted out as well.
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| Armour for Man and Horse, circa 1480 |
It was an enchanting place to lose ourselves in, and the best part is that it's free and public. We look forward to disappearing into this world again!
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| Perseus and Andromeda, Titian |
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