The Wallace Collection ☆☆

The Great Gallery at the Wallace Collection (Photo by Brent Flanders)
The Great Gallery at the Wallace Collection
The Great Gallery at the Wallace Collection, Wallace Collection, London (Photo by Brent Flanders)
The West Gallery III room at the Wallace Collection, Wallace Collection, London (Photo by Brent Flanders)
"Portrait of Titus, the artist's son" (c. 1657) by Rembrandt van Rinj, Wallace Collection, London (Photo in the public domain)
"The Ghosts of Paolo and Francesca Appear to Dante and Virgil" (1835) by Ary Scheffer, Wallace Collection, London (Photo in the public domain)
"The Holy Family with Sts Elizabeth and John the Baptist" (c. 1614) by Peter Paul Rubens, Wallace Collection, London (Photo in the public domain)
"The musical contest" (1754–55) by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Wallace Collection, London (Photo in the public domain)
"Madame de Pompadour" (1759) by François Boucher, Wallace Collection, London (Photo in the public domain)
"Venus and Cupid" (1750–60) by François Boucher, Wallace Collection, London (Photo in the public domain)
"Model for Hebe" (1805–08) by Antonio Canova, Wallace Collection, London (Photo by Sailko)
Armor, Wallace Collection, London (Photo by Johnbod)
Part of the armor collection, Wallace Collection, London (Photo by Karen Bryan of www.europealacarte.co.uk/blog)
The Large Drawing Room, Wallace Collection, London (Photo by Brent Flanders)
The Front State Room, Wallace Collection, London (Photo by Sailko)
The Oval Drawing Room, Wallace Collection, London (Photo by Steve Parkinson)
18C French Sèvres porcelain, Wallace Collection, London (Photo by David Holt)
Hertford House, home of the Wallace Collection, Wallace Collection, London (Photo By David Holt)
A Wallace Fountain outside the Wallace Collection, Wallace Collection, London (Photo by Justinc)
"Self-portrait" (c. 1637) by Rembrandt van Rinj, Wallace Collection, London (Photo in the public domain)
"Self-portrait as Paris" (c. 1628) by Anthony van Dyck, Wallace Collection, London (Photo in the public domain)
"Celebrating the Birth Date" (1664) by Jan Steen, Wallace Collection, London (Photo in the public domain)
The Laughing Cavalier (1624) by Frans Hals, Wallace Collection, London (Photo courtesy of the Wallace Collection)
A Dance to the Music of Time (1634–36) by Nicolas Poussin, Wallace Collection, London (Photo courtesy of the Wallace Collection)

An historic London townhouse filled with 18C antiques and French and Old Master paintings—all for free

The 1776-88 Hertford House on Manchester Square—originally built for the 4th Duke of Manchester—contains the collections of 18C French paintings, Old Masters works, fine porcelains, and antique armor amassed by the Seymour family, the Marquesses of Hertford, over five generations. 

The collection was donated to the public in 1900 by the widow of the final Seymour heir, Sir Richard Wallace, illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess who became famous for the help and resources he provided to the poor of Paris during and after the Siege of Paris in early 1870s (many of the green Wallace Fountains he donated to provide drinking water still dot the Parisian street scene; there is on in the garden here)

These 35 galleries—many with the artwork still displayed against sumptuous wall hangings beneath crystal chandeliers befitting a formerly private collection—is particularly strong in 18C French rococo works by François Boucher, Jean-Honoré FragonardJean-Antoine Watteau, and Jean-Marc Nattier. 

These hang alongside works by older masters like Nicolas Poussin, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Guido Reni, Andrea del Sarto, Diego Velázquez, Jan SteenThomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, and Rembrandt van Rinj—including one of Rembrandt's famous self-protraits, and another of his son Titus.

There is also a fine collection of armor and arms, French furnishings, and a decorative arts that includes Limoges enamels and Meissen and Sèvres procelains.

The courtyard hosts a restaurant that makes for a lovely place to enjoy afternoon tea. » more

Tips

How long should I spend at the Wallace Collection?

The museum is worth a good 90–110 minutes, but I'd also plan to have lunch here, so figure on 3 hours total.

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