The Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection Although we are temporarily closed, you can still explore one of the most significant collections of European fine and decorative arts in the world by visiting our website today.

The Wallace Collection is a national museum in an historic London town house. In 25 galleries are unsurpassed displays of French 18th-century painting, furniture and porcelain with superb Old Master paintings and a world class armoury.

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This work, titled Flowers on a Fountain with a Peacock, is the most spectacular painting by the Dutch artist Jan Weenix ...
02/01/2021

This work, titled Flowers on a Fountain with a Peacock, is the most spectacular painting by the Dutch artist Jan Weenix in the Wallace Collection. ⁠
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Characteristic of Weenix’s late decorative style, the picture’s impressive visual power derives from the artist’s mastery in rendering different textures in paint.⁠
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Dated c.1700-10, the work demonstrates the artist’s skill in combining a theatrical ‘mise en scène’ with finely observed detail. It also combines natural and architectural elements, composed in the grand manner, with dramatic lighting to obtain a monumental effect.

Its scale and quality may indicate that it once formed part of a larger commission from a prestigious patron, possibly for a set of Seasons.⁠

Happy New Year! Today we want to share one of the Collection’s finest and most iconic masterpieces. Painted c.1636 by Fl...
01/01/2021

Happy New Year! Today we want to share one of the Collection’s finest and most iconic masterpieces. Painted c.1636 by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, this magnificent view is titled The Rainbow Landscape.

Rubens presents an idealised view of a working landscape. Haymaking is in progress and dairy cattle are being herded down a track. Ducks dabble on the bank of the stream, while smiling milkmaids and a farmhand greet the driver of a hay wagon.

Long shadows suggest that evening is approaching and the day's work will soon be done. A sense of peacefulness and contentment pervades, and is heightened by the appearance of a double-arced rainbow that sweeps across the sky, unifying the composition.

This grand scene likely represents the area around his country house, outside Antwerp, which Rubens bought in 1635 for his retirement. Rubens turned to landscape late in his career. Many of the landscapes he painted, including this one, were produced for his own pleasure and enjoyment.

Discover more about this painting and our upcoming exhibition here: https://bit.ly/3846wjr

Happy New Year’s Eve from all of us here at the Wallace Collection! May your celebrations be safe and filled with happin...
31/12/2020

Happy New Year’s Eve from all of us here at the Wallace Collection! May your celebrations be safe and filled with happiness and cheer.
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This eighteenth-century painting, titled a ‘Bacchanalian Scene’, is by the Leiden born artist Willem van Mieris. The painting depicts a bacchante, or female devotee of the god of wine Bacchus, squeezing a bunch of grapes in a cup held by a satyr. ⁠
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In the background another bacchante and satyr couple is seen, dancing and making music. Ironically, the central bacchante’s pose recalls that of Raphael’s Saint John the Baptist in the Louvre, Paris.⁠

Me contemplating if New Year equals New Me.Painted c.1780, this work is by one of most influential genre painters of the...
30/12/2020

Me contemplating if New Year equals New Me.

Painted c.1780, this work is by one of most influential genre painters of the late eighteenth-century, Jean-Baptiste Greuze.

Like many painters, Greuze had produced studies of individual heads as drawings and in oil from early in his career. Some of them were nature studies, others specifically prepared figures in his larger narrative paintings. From the late 1770s, these 'expressive heads' developed into a separate genre and into a main field of his activities.

This painting is a typical example of Greuze's expressive heads which he painted in increasing numbers in his studio from the 1780s onwards. These paintings were incredibly popular in the eighteenth-century, fetching even higher prices than any of his contemporaries, including Fragonard.

Great patron of the arts and mistress to Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour was born #onthisday 1721. This painting, by Frenc...
29/12/2020

Great patron of the arts and mistress to Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour was born #onthisday 1721. This painting, by French artist François Boucher, was painted in 1759.⁠
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Madame de Pompadour has been famous for the important position as a patron and in politics that she obtained as Louis XV's mistress. Because of her great political intelligence, she successfully built and defended a highly influential position at the French court to a degree that was unusual for a mistress of the king.⁠
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In the years around 1750, Madame de Pompadour commissioned a series of works of art with friendship and fidelity as their central theme. This portrait, the last known portrait Boucher painted of his patron, evokes these ideals by its inclusion of the sculpture of Friendship consoling Love (loosely modelled on a famous work by Pigalle commissioned by Pompadour) and in the presence of Madame de Pompadour’s pet spaniel, Inès, here used as a symbol of fidelity.⁠

Painted c.1665 by the Dutch Golden Age painter Adam Pynacker, this delicate scene depicts a group of animals next to a d...
28/12/2020

Painted c.1665 by the Dutch Golden Age painter Adam Pynacker, this delicate scene depicts a group of animals next to a dark pond.

In the middle distance, a herdsman and his companion, seated on a donkey, drive home their cattle at the end of the day. Rain menaces the sky from the right.

Pynacker emphasises the contrast between light and shade, using them to define different planes of the composition with subtle tones and a stylised treatment of foliage.

This sumptuous still life is by the Dutch painter, Jan van Huysum.⁠ It depicts a variety of flowers, including apple blo...
27/12/2020

This sumptuous still life is by the Dutch painter, Jan van Huysum.⁠ It depicts a variety of flowers, including apple blossom, a crown imperial, poppies, tulips and a rose, and are arranged in a characteristically exuberant fashion, spilling on to a stone ledge.⁠
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In addition to the exact rendering of individual flower species, Jan van Huysum has demonstrated meticulous attention to detail in the drops of water on the rose petals and the insects, including butterflies, flies and beetles.⁠

How will you be spending your Boxing Day? ⁠⠀⁠⠀These two delightful works were commissioned in 1781 for Marie-Antoinette’...
26/12/2020

How will you be spending your Boxing Day? ⁠⠀
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These two delightful works were commissioned in 1781 for Marie-Antoinette’s bedchamber in the Royal pavilion of the château Marly.

The first, titled Sleep (Le sommeil) is by French painter Nicolas-René Jollain and the second is by fellow French painter Hughes Taraval, titled ‘Awakening (Le réveil)'.

From all of us here at the Wallace Collection, we wish you all a very safe and Merry Christmas.⁠⁠Although we are tempora...
25/12/2020

From all of us here at the Wallace Collection, we wish you all a very safe and Merry Christmas.⁠
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Although we are temporarily closed, you can still explore one of the most significant collections of European fine and decorative arts in the world by visiting our website.⁠
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Find out more: https://www.wallacecollection.org/

This painting, dated early 1780s, is by the renowned English landscape painter and portraitist, Thomas Gainsborough.The ...
24/12/2020

This painting, dated early 1780s, is by the renowned English landscape painter and portraitist, Thomas Gainsborough.

The work depicts Miss Elizabeth Haverfield, the daughter of John Haverfield, a Superintendent Gardener at Richmond Gardens (now Kew Gardens).

Miss Haverfield is shown in a pose of spontaneity, in which she appears to have been caught playing with the ribbons of her coat. The fluid, loosely painted landscape background further animates the scene and is a fine example of Gainsborough’s later work.

The greatest works of Renaissance armour-art embody a perfect harmony between two fundamental qualities – the essential ...
23/12/2020

The greatest works of Renaissance armour-art embody a perfect harmony between two fundamental qualities – the essential sculptural forms and elaborate decoration. Of course, well-made armour can be powerful and expressive without any ornamentation at all - beauty can arise solely out of pure form. However, the great masterpieces go further, with complex decoration involving diverse themes, subjects and symbols.

When used well, decoration can complement and enhance the shapes, changing the impact of the physical presence of the wearer, from pleasing, to impressive, to shocking and awe-inspiring.

Kolman Helmschmid was one of the greatest master armourers of all time. For generations the Helmschmids were court armourers to the Habsburg emperors, the most powerful aristocratic dynasty in European history. Their work is defined by its harmony - technical perfection united with etched and gilt decoration of the finest quality.

Discover the Collection's breath-taking European Armouries in our new online series #MeettheExpert: https://bit.ly/3nwf1Jl

These two charming sculptures, dated 1762-3, are made from soft-paste porcelain. They are a testament to the inventivene...
22/12/2020

These two charming sculptures, dated 1762-3, are made from soft-paste porcelain. They are a testament to the inventiveness, artistry and skills of the Sèvres porcelain manufactory at the time.

The models for the two figures, one representing Cupid, the other his lover Psyche, were sculpted by Étienne-Maurice Falconet, who exhibited a full-size plaster model of Cupid, under the title L’amour menaçant (Menacing Love), at the Paris Salon of 1755.

The novel depiction of a seated Cupid appealed to Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV, who would go on to commission a marble version for her Parisian town-house which Falconet exhibited two years later to great acclaim. One contemporary commentator claimed that ‘one could not render the nature of our age with more truthfulness and more grace’.

To mark today’s #WinterSolstice, we are sharing this superb winterscape by Dutch painter, Isack van Ostade.⁠⠀⁠⠀Dated 164...
21/12/2020

To mark today’s #WinterSolstice, we are sharing this superb winterscape by Dutch painter, Isack van Ostade.⁠⠀
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Dated 1640s, it provides a wonderful glimpse of what life may have looked like during the many harsh winters Holland endured in the seventeenth-century. During these periods, commercial traffic on many of the Dutch Republic’s canals and rivers came to a halt due to icy conditions. As a result, locals devised alternative ways of transporting themselves—and their goods—on ice.⁠⠀
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This painting illustrates Isack’s unrivalled ability to beautifully capture a wintery mood through silver-grey atmospheric effects. Unlike his predecessors in the winterscape genre such as Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Hendrick Averkamp, who represented icy thoroughfares as everyone’s happy playground, Isack takes a more realistic approach to the subject.

Famous for his intimate domestic scenes, Dutch Golden Age painter Pieter de Hooch, was born #onthisday in 1629 in Rotter...
20/12/2020

Famous for his intimate domestic scenes, Dutch Golden Age painter Pieter de Hooch, was born #onthisday in 1629 in Rotterdam.

De Hooch studied with Nicolaes Berchem in Haarlem in the 1640s. In 1655 he joined the Delft Guild of Saint Luke, becoming, alongside Vermeer, one of the leading painters of the Delft School. His style was characterised by dramatic perspective based effects and sensitivity to natural light.

Dated c.1663 this painting represents a woman successfully running a large household and is very much in keeping with Nicolaes Maes’s earlier depictions of women engaged in household activities. The complementary theme of marital love is represented by the cupid on the fireplace pillar.

We’re excited to share that this evening on Channel 4, you will be able to discover how we prepared for the historic mov...
20/12/2020

We’re excited to share that this evening on Channel 4, you will be able to discover how we prepared for the historic move of two of our finest pieces of furniture in our new display on the French Cabinetmaker, Jean-Henri Riesener.

Watch Wallace Collection Furniture Conservator Jürgen Huber and Curator of French Eighteenth-Century Decorative Arts, Dr Helen Jacobsen, as they reveal the history of some of our most fabulous pieces in a brand new, primetime documentary, 'Royal Antiques Revived'.

See how you move an antique desk weighing hundreds of pounds and created from hundreds of different pieces of wood, plus find out why the Wallace Collection founders were so enamoured with the wonders in marquetry and gilt bronze created by Riesener.

Presented by Victoria Coren-Mitchell, Royal Antiques Revived is on Channel 4 at 20:00 on Sunday 20 December.

Find out more here: https://bit.ly/38hS6eE

19/12/2020

Want to know the connection between Disney's #TheMandalorian and the Wallace Collection?

Check out Insider's latest #howrealisit episode today, as our Curator of Arms and Armour, Dr Tobias Capwell, rates famous weapons and armour from cinema and TV!

Discover more from Dr Tobias Capwell in this month's #MeetTheExpert series: https://bit.ly/3mA4rjo

Admired as a watercolourist of elegant society subjects, French artist Eugène Lami died #onthisday 1890.⁠⁠Dated 1854, th...
19/12/2020

Admired as a watercolourist of elegant society subjects, French artist Eugène Lami died #onthisday 1890.⁠
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Dated 1854, this stunning watercolour depicts a supper with the Regent, and is characteristic of Lami’s richly coloured aristocratic scenes.

The Regent, seated centre-left, looks in the direction of the date 1793 (the year of Louis XVI’s execution) above a cloud in the top-right corner, clearly indicating that eventually there will be a terrible price to pay for aristocratic excess. A parallel with the biblical subject of Belshazzar’s Feast is probably intended.

Today we continue our #WallaceConnections series with a focus on Iznik ceramics and how nineteenth-century European prec...
18/12/2020

Today we continue our #WallaceConnections series with a focus on Iznik ceramics and how nineteenth-century European preconceptions distorted the art-historical study of these beautiful wares.⁠

Following the fashion of his time, Sir Richard Wallace had the Smoking Room at Hertford House decorated with tiles. Produced around 1872–5 by the Staffordshire manufacturer Minton, Hollis & Co., these tiles were copied from or inspired by Iznik originals that were marketed as ‘Persian’. This archive photograph was taken of the Smoking Room in 1912, the second is of the Smoking Room in 2018.

While the Persian attribution for Iznik ceramics was widely rejected in the twentieth century, the underlying racist ideas lingered. In their monumental Survey of Persian Art published in 1938–9, a foundational work in the field, Alexander Upham Pope and Phyllis Ackerman wrote that ‘the Persians were certainly by temperament particularly disposed to [ceramic] art.’

At the Wallace Collection, we are aware of the racist reasoning behind some attributions and are continuously revisiting the attributions and cataloguing texts of the works of art in our care to ensure accuracy.

Dutch maritime painter Willem van de Velde the Younger was born #onthisday 1633.⁠⁠This stately Dutch seascape, painted w...
18/12/2020

Dutch maritime painter Willem van de Velde the Younger was born #onthisday 1633.⁠
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This stately Dutch seascape, painted when the artist was only thirty-two years old, is one of the most important works produced by the Van de Velde workshop during its Dutch period, before the family moved to England in 1671-2.⁠
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The main subject of the painting is the ship in the left foreground, which flies the flag and pendant of the commander-in-chief of the Dutch fleet. It has been identified as the Liefde, the flagship of Admiral Cornelis Tromp (1629-91), who was commander-in-chief in 1665. The painting may have been commissioned by Tromp to commemorate his brief command.⁠

Need inspiration for your Christmas outfit this year? Well, look no further. The fanciful dress of this sitter has him a...
17/12/2020

Need inspiration for your Christmas outfit this year? Well, look no further. The fanciful dress of this sitter has him adorned with pearl earrings, a plumed red velvet hat and a gold-embroidered maroon cloak over a blue-grey tunic. ⁠
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Painted in 1633, this type of painting is known as a 'tronie', the Dutch term for a portrait of a single figure in a head or half-length format. This style of work was developed by Rembrandt and Jan Lievens in their Leiden studio, and were often painted by their pupils at an advanced stage of their training, probably as an exercise in portrait painting. ⁠
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Studio models (often relatives of the master or members of his household) were posed in imaginative costume. The sitter of the present picture recurs in other 'tronies' associated with Rembrandt's studio.

This monumental picture is an early masterpiece by the French artist Jean-Baptiste Oudry. Painted in 1721, the work repr...
16/12/2020

This monumental picture is an early masterpiece by the French artist Jean-Baptiste Oudry. Painted in 1721, the work represents one of the most brilliant still lifes of the eighteenth century and is one of the earliest major pieces of a new style, the Rococo.

Rendered in a free, loose brushwork in pastel-like colours, 'The Dead Wolf' displays an image of abundance, with the mouth-watering fruit, the game pie decorated with fleur-de-lis and the over-ripe figs, cooling in their porcelain bowl in the stream, all executed in minute detail.

The painting, along with its pendant piece, bear witness to a love of the sensual and the theatrical in their subject matter, and are notable for their technical skill, their dramatic lighting and setting, and their subtle palette of white, pale blues, pinks, blue-greens and greys.

Flemish Baroque painter, David Teniers the Younger, was baptised #onthisday 1610.Dated c.1645-7, this picture illustrate...
15/12/2020

Flemish Baroque painter, David Teniers the Younger, was baptised #onthisday 1610.

Dated c.1645-7, this picture illustrates the episode when Saint Peter was thrown into prison on the orders of King Herod of Judea. Teniers makes the scene more immediate by situating the story in his own time, allowing the viewer to draw a parallel with contemporary behaviour.

The relatively ordinary scene is contrasted with the celestial vision of the angel, glimpsed through the open cell door in the right background, urging the aged saint to escape.

The painting is executed in oils on copper, the details and costumes have been painted with a high degree of finish, adding to the vivid immediacy of the composition.

Following the recent government announcement that London will be entering Tier 3 Restrictions, the Wallace Collection wi...
15/12/2020

Following the recent government announcement that London will be entering Tier 3 Restrictions, the Wallace Collection will be temporarily closing to the public from 5pm GMT today. (Tuesday 15 December 2020)
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During closure, we will continue to share inspiring works and stories from the Collection on our social media channels and our website, with our online talks and events programme continuing without interruption.⁠
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If you have booked free tickets to visit the Collection, your tickets will be automatically cancelled. There is no need to contact us, and you will receive an email confirmation of your cancellation.

Find more information here: https://www.wallacecollection.org/visiting-safely/
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Please stay safe and we hope to welcome you back soon.

This thoughtful portrait, by English painter Sir Joshua Reynolds, is of Mrs Mary Robinson. By 1783, when Reynolds painte...
14/12/2020

This thoughtful portrait, by English painter Sir Joshua Reynolds, is of Mrs Mary Robinson. By 1783, when Reynolds painted this portrait, Robinson had achieved public renown as an actress and author.

It is likely that Reynolds and Robinson constructed this composition together. Her melancholic pose looking out to sea reflects her recent partial paralysis caused whilst travelling to Dover in pursuit of her lover, Banastre Tarleton, who was himself fleeing from debts.

The broad handling of paint is characteristic of Reynolds’s later style, although the sketchiness of the lower section of the picture suggests it might be unfinished.

Find out more about the piece here: https://bit.ly/34n4Z37

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Hertford House, Manchester Square
London
W1U3

Visiting by Bus Numbers 2, 10, 12, 13, 30, 74, 82, 94, 113, 137, 274 all stop nearby. Visiting by Rail Marylebone BR Station is approximately a 10-15 minute walk. Visiting by Tube The nearest tubes are Bond Street (Central & Jubilee Lines) and Baker Street (Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee and Metropolitan Lines). Oxford Circus (Bakerloo, Central, Victoria Lines) is a 10-15 minute walk. For visitors arriving with an Assistance Dog, Marble Arch is the nearest tube with stairs. Parking Parking on nearby streets metered until 6.30pm. A selection of car parks can be found nearb. Disabled visitors can pre-book a parking space, see website for information: http://www.wallacecollection.org/visiting/howtoreachus

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Spanish Painting at the Wallace Collection
Spanish Painting at the Wallace Collection

Today is the last day of Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company! Forgotten Masters presents an extraordinary opportunity to see masterpieces of Indian painting, brought together for the first time in the UK. Shedding light on a forgotten moment in Anglo-Indian history, and reflecting both the beauty of the natural world and the social reality of the time.⁠⠀ You can now relive the vivid detail and masterful artistry of the show online. Explore the show’s themes and artworks with our exhibition introduction film, led by curator William Dalrymple and Wallace Collection director Dr Xavier Bray, and our room-by-room digital tour, via our website. Discover Forgotten Masters online today: https://bit.ly/3ip2wgp

Forgotten Masters is now open! In this introduction, hear from the Wallace Collection’s director Dr Xavier Bray and exhibition curator William Dalrymple, as they explore some of the iconic pieces and beautiful works of art on display in the show. Open for just 6 weeks, don’t miss your chance to see these masterpieces of Indian painting, as they shed light on a forgotten moment in Anglo-Indian history.⁠ Limited number of tickets available, book now to avoid disappointment. https://www.wallacecollection.org/forgotten-masters-indian-painting-east-india-company/ ⁠ Exhibition closes 13 September 2020. ⁠ In partnership with DAG.⁠ With thanks to Imagineear for the audio production – the full and original version was an audioguide to the exhibition.

We’re excited to announce that tickets are now on sale for the reopening of Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company! Curated by renowned writer and historian William Dalrymple, Forgotten Masters presents an extraordinary opportunity to see vivid and highly original works commissioned by East India Company officials in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.⁠ Open from 29 July 2020 for just 6 weeks, don’t miss your chance to explore these masterpieces of Indian painting, as they shed light on a forgotten moment in Anglo-Indian history. In order to maintain social distancing, a very limited number of daily tickets will be available, so please book early to avoid disappointment. Book your tickets today: https://bit.ly/30EjKPf Exhibition closes 13 September 2020. Members enjoy unlimited access to all our exhibitions, but pre-booking is essential at this time. In partnership with DAG.

The Wallace Collection's Arms and Armour Curator, Tobias Capwell introduces these two elegant and sumptuously decorated flint-lock pistols made for King Louis XIV of France. Their precise provenance is unknown, it has been suggested that the pistols might have been made in celebration of the capture of Dunkirk in 1658. Alternatively, they might have formed part of a gift from the city of Lille to mark and celebrate the annexation of that city by French forces in the 1667-8 Spanish Netherlands campaign. The quality and craftsmanship are of the highest order: the stocks are of carved walnut stained dark, while the gun barrels are engraved, blued and overlaid in gold. As was often the case with guns intended for royalty, they do not bear the name of their maker. Film by Jamie Isbell, music by Oscar Webster Bell. #WallacefromHome

Today’s #MuseumWeek theme is #technologyMW. Digital technology can transform the ways in which we see and understand historic objects. The Wallace Collection has pioneered using SketchUp to document important pieces of furniture as digital models and is in the process of publishing them using the web platform, Sketchfab. Such technology allows us to explore the objects in three-dimensional space and discover the complexity of their construction. This model is of a chest of drawers made by French cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener for Marie-Antoinette’s use at the Château de Marly in 1782. The meticulous digital recreation of Riesener’s chest of drawers gives us a remarkable insight into his craftsmanship and practice, with this model showing the deconstruction of the object into approximately 530 pieces. Who would have believed that a chest of drawers is so complicated! Find out more about Riesener in our blog: https://bit.ly/2Zajoke

The Great Gallery is in many ways the heart of the Wallace Collection; it was intended by Sir Richard Wallace as the culmination of a visit to Hertford House. The major refurbishment of 2014 gave us a rare opportunity to think afresh about the arrangement of the paintings, which were to hang on beautiful new silk and utilise new lighting. For today’s MuseumWeek theme of #MuseumMomentsMW, we wanted to share this time-lapse of the rehang of one of the finest collections of Old Master paintings in the world, a truly defining moment for the Wallace Collection. #TheGreatGallery #OldMasters #Painting #TheWallaceCollection

Iconic Italian painter Giovanni Antonio Canal, commonly known as Canaletto, died #onthisday 1768. In this film, relive the restoration of two of Canaletto's most magnificent paintings in the Collection. Depicting the Bacino di San Marco, Venice’s inner harbour of Saint Mark’s, both pieces were restored as part of a 2017 conservation project at the Hamilton Kerr Institute at the University of Cambridge.⁠ The restoration was funded by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, as part of the company’s global Art Conservation Project. Find out more about these two incredible works here: https://bit.ly/3eAfxC4

The Wallace Collection’s Great Gallery is one of the finest rooms of European painting found anywhere in the world. Displaying an outstanding array of masterpieces, including works by Rubens, Velázquez, Poussin, and van Dyck, it is an inspiring celebration of colour, canvas and masterful artistry. With the Great Gallery as its setting, we wanted to share this emotive piece by cellist Ariana Kashefi and pianist Maksim Stsura, as they perform Claude Debussy's ‘Cello Sonata, i Prologue’. Recorded live in July 2019 as part of City Music Foundation’s Annual Summer Residency. #ThrowbackThursday

“I do believe that art is a mirror on life and that it gives us the depth of understanding how other people lived and I have been inspired by it my whole career.” #Throwback to our 2009 interview with iconic British designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, as she talks about the art and artists of the Wallace Collection and how they have influenced and inspired her. Has there been a particular work from the Collection that has inspired you? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below. #ThrowbackThursday

Whether we’ve been sitting or lounging or dozing or dreaming, all of us have become a little more familiar with our own furniture lately. For today’s #FurnitureFriday, we wanted to share this film of one of our own treasured pieces in the Collection, conserved by a wonderful team a few years ago. This elegant armchair is one of only a small number of English pieces of furniture in the Collection. Designed by #WilliamKent in the 18th century, the chair shows off the bold, sculptural forms employed by much of Kent's furniture and was greatly inspired by his trips to Italy. #WFH #WallaceFromHome #MuseumfromHome

“Some of the greatest natural history artworks of all time.” ★★★★★ - The Guardian⁠ “A dizzying range of exquisite paintings.” - BBC Culture Curated by renowned writer and historian William Dalrymple, #ForgottenMasters presents an extraordinary opportunity to see vivid and highly original works commissioned by East India Company officials in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.⁠ A UK first, don’t miss your chance to explore these masterpieces of Indian painting, as they shed light on a forgotten moment in Anglo-Indian history. ⁠⁠ Open now. Book your tickets here: https://bit.ly/2P9WIL2 Members go free!

In 2019, the Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica generously funded the cleaning, restoration and technical analysis of the Wallace Collection's painting, Prince Baltasar Carlos in the Riding School by the Studio of Velázquez. Explore the full process of the treatment here: https://bit.ly/2HxYPnR

Join our Director, Dr Xavier Bray, as he discusses the Wallace Collection’s masterpiece by Titian, Perseus and Andromeda. The work will be heading to the National Gallery for their forthcoming exhibition Titian: Love, Desire, Death, bringing together Titian’s magnificent ‘poesie’ for the first time since the late 16th century. Find out more here: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/titian-love-desire-death/facebook-live

One of the most celebrated French furniture makers of all time, Jean-Henri Riesener, died #onthisday in 1806. Riesener is famous for making roll-top desks. This desk in the Wallace Collection has been digitally recreated to illustrate the complexity of its construction. The intricate design combines a roll top, which conceals drawers, shelves and a writing surface, and three lower drawers. Their contents would have been protected by the ingenious locking mechanism hidden within the desk. Find out more about the technical brilliance of Riesener’s furniture on our blog here: https://www.wallacecollection.org/blog/riesener-project/

★★★★★ “Gorgeous and enlightening” – The Guardian ★★★★ “A delightful menagerie of charismatic creatures” - Telegraph ★★★★ – Time Out ★★★★ – Londonist⁠ ⁠ Have you had a chance to see #ForgottenMasters yet? ⁠ Curated by renowned writer and historian William Dalrymple, this is the first UK exhibition of works by Indian master painters commissioned by East India Company officials in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.⁠ ⁠⁠ Open now. ⁠Members go free! Book your tickets here: bit.ly/2LnfA7h

This chest-of-drawers was made by one of the greatest French cabinetmakers of the eighteenth century, Jean-Henri Riesener. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ It has been modelled in meticulous detail using an interactive digital platform, allowing us to explore the object in over 500 pieces. This is a new and exciting approach to furniture history which has been developed by a Riesener research project taking place at The Wallace Collection, Royal Collection Trust and Waddesdon Manor.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ You can find the model here, on the Riesener Project blog: https://www.wallacecollection.org/blog/riesener-project/ #FurnitureFriday

★★★★★ “Gorgeous and enlightening” – The Guardian ⁠⠀ ★★★★ “A delightful menagerie of charismatic creatures” - Telegraph ⁠⠀ ★★★★ – Time Out ⁠⠀ ★★★★ – Londonist⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ OPEN NOW - #ForgottenMasters: Indian Painting for the East India Company.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Curated by renowned writer and historian William Dalrymple, this is the first UK exhibition of works by Indian master painters commissioned by East India Company officials in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ The exhibition represents an unprecedented opportunity to see these vivid and highly original paintings together for the first time, recognising them as among the greatest masterpieces of Indian painting.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Book your tickets here: https://bit.ly/2LnfA7h

Next week, the Wallace Collection opens #ForgottenMasters, the first UK exhibition of works by Indian master painters commissioned by East India Company officials in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Curated by renowned writer and historian, William Dalrymple. Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company opens on 4 December 2019, until 19 April 2020. Book your tickets now: https://bit.ly/2MXlQ7d

There is less than a week left to see the award winning exhibition, An Enquiring Mind: Manolo Blahník at the Wallace Collection. Marvel at a personally selected edit of shoe designs from Blahník’s private archives, set amongst the masterpieces of the Wallace Collection. Until 27 October 2019. Free admission, no booking required. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/2Zn8DLG Exhibition in partnership between Manolo Blahník and the Wallace Collection.

If you could save #OneArtwork from destruction, what would it be? Ahead of this week’s release of Warner Bros. Pictures' #TheGoldfinch, Sotheby's asked the film’s cast and the Wallace Collection’s director, Xavier Bray, that exact question. Watch the full video to find out what they chose…

Have you seen An Enquiring Mind: Manolo Blahník at the Wallace Collection? Marvel at a personally selected edit of shoe designs from Blahník’s private archives, set amongst the masterpieces of the Wallace Collection. Now entering its final month, on until 27 October 2019. Free admission, no booking required. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/2Zn8DLG Exhibition in partnership between Manolo Blahník and the Wallace Collection.

King #LouisXIV of France was born #onthisday 1638. During his long reign, Louis XIV was a steadfast patron of the arts. His influence had a profound effect on art at the time; many works, from furniture to paintings, can be found in the Wallace Collection today. Find out more here: https://www.wallacecollection.org/collection/

Joanna Hogg's new film, The Souvenir, is a wonderful tribute to Fragonard’s continuing influence in our world today. By donating to #FixingFrago, a research and conservation project around our 8 Fragonard paintings, you will ensure that future generations continue to enjoy his work. www.justgiving.com/campaign/fixingfrago #thesouvenir #curzon #artificialeye #fragonard #fragomania #eighteenthcenturyfrenchpainting #wallacecollection #paintingconservation #joannahogg #frenchpainting #thewallacecollection #conservation

In our current exhibition learn how Manolo Blahnik's iconic shoe designs have been inspired by the Masterpieces of the Wallace Collection. Open daily with free admission! #WallaceCollectionxManoloBlahnik #AnEnquiringMind

On this day 1653 the Battle of Scheveningen took place - the final naval battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War. This painting by Willem van de Velde the Younger depicts the Dutch fireship, the Fortuin (Fortune) about to ram the Andrew, commanded by the English Rear-Admiral, Thomas Graves. #OTD

Be taken on a journey through the works that inspired Manolo Blahnik's enquiring mind... #AnEnquiringMind #WallaceCollectionxManoloBlahnik Until 1 September 2019.

Our #FREE #ManoloBlahnik exhibition 'An Enquiring Mind' is open until 1 September 2019 - a perfect partnership of art and fashion! #AnEnquiringMind #WallaceCollectionxManoloBlahnik

'An Enquiring Mind: Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection’ - now open and free to visit! #WallaceCollectionxManoloBlahnik #AnEnquiringMind

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I was registered for online Wallace Collection talk about collectors via Zoom on 26 October. I tried to log in with details taken from Wallace's confirmation email but got message that passcode was incorrect. Very disappointed to miss this talk. Did anyone else have same problem?
Please check messages as I have not had a response. Thank you
I was registered for Last night’s Wallace online talk via Zoom - I could not log in with the details supplied on confirmation email so missed the seminar. Did anyone else have a problem?
The Two-Handed Greatsword (Spada a Due Mani) - Anonimo Bolognese (ca. 1500 - 1550) - 11th action The third in a new series on the use of the Two-Handed Greatsword (Spada a due Mani), this is from the Manuscripts attributed to the ‘Anonimo Bolognese’ (ca. 1500 - 1550). Performed with a synthetic blade due to public access, this is the 11th action. -———————————————————————————- As many of you are probably aware, my moniker of ‘Wandering Swordsman’ used in these videos is based on the old European concept of a non guild affiliated instructor in swordsmanship being little better than a vagabond. This is particularly apt due to my lifestyle choice of living on a boat and travelling around the south of England, putting up posters and offering classes wherever I happen to stop. -———————————————————————————- Initiating action a.) Begin the action in cinghiara porta di ferro alta, with your false edge in contact with that of your opponent. b.) Cross your arms to bring your blade to the opposite side of your opponents weapon, catching the weak between your blade and crossguard. c.) Throw the opponents weapon across your body with a sweeping action, passing obliquely to the right when their tip has moved safely out of presence. d.) Continue the sweeping motion into a circular cut, drawing your left foot behind your right as you cut a mandritto fendente to your opponents head. Counter action a.) Await your opponents action in the same guard position. b.) Do not react to your opponent as they cross their arms. Watch their feet peripherally - if you are keeping correct distance, then they should not be close enough to land a blow without advancing a foot. c.) Your opportunity presents itself when your opponent passes forwards, throwing your weapon aside and uncrossing to cut at you. d.) As your opponent releases your blade, cut a mezzo mandritto to their flank. e.) Immediately lift into guardia di intrare, catching the opponents cut on your cross while threatening the face. The great plague of 2020 has finally waned enough for me to get out and about a bit more; now to do something about this newly developed spare tire 😅🥺🍺 If you want to support the channel, feel free to get me a coffee over at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JayMaxwell and don’t forget to like and subscribe ☕️ #diaryofawanderingswordsman #tempusfugitives #coffee
The Two Handed Greatsword - Anonimo Bolognese (ca. 1500 - 1550) - 10th action The second in a series on the use of the Two-Handed Greatsword (Spada a due Mani), this is from the Manuscripts attributed to the ‘Anonimo Bolognese’ (ca. 1500 - 1550). Performed with a synthetic blade due to public access, this is the 10th action. -———————————————————————————- As many of you are probably aware, my moniker of ‘Wandering Swordsman’ used in these videos is based on the old European concept of a non guild affiliated instructor in swordsmanship being little better than a vagabond. This is particularly apt due to my lifestyle choice of living on a boat and travelling around the south of England, putting up posters and offering classes wherever I happen to stop. -———————————————————————————- 10th action a.) Start in porta di ferro alta, with your false edge against that of your opponent. b.) If your opponent thrusts along your blade, catch it on your Crossguard by lifting into guardia di testa. c.) Use your weapon to forcefully displace your opponents blade down and to the right. d.) Passing to the left, continue with a wheeling cut into a riverso fendente to the head and draw your right foot behind your left. Counter action a.) Starting in porta di ferro alta, pass forwards thrusting along your opponents blade, keeping your false edge in contact with theirs. b.) When your opponent catches and displaces your blade, use the force of that displacement to turn a mandritto to their head. For more on this subject, or if you would like to purchase your own training weapons to practice the content of these videos, please visit our website: www.tempus-fugitives.co.uk I’m starting to look a bit scruffy again, I guess I’ll have to briefly head back towards civilisation soon 😕 If you want to support the channel, and a haircut, feel free to get me a coffee over at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JayMaxwell ☕️ #diaryofawanderingswordsman #tempusfugitives #coffee
What life could have been!!
The Military Billhook (Welsh or Forest Bill) - George Silver (1599) - paradoxes, ch. 13 pt. 6&8 George Silver was a controversial character, even in his time, for his vehement opposition to the popular Italian systems being taught in London during the 16th century. Claiming to be revealing the older English methods of combat, his ‘Paradoxes of Defense for the True Handling of all Manner of Weapons’ does give an excellent description of the principles upon which this systems is grounded. The bill was the primary infantry weapon of Tudor armies, and described by George Silver as having “advantage against all manner of weapons whatsoever”. Ironically, Di Grassi, the author of an earlier book on Italian methodology popular in London - including the use of the bill - agreed with this notion in stating that the bill was the final and most superior form of polearm. -———————————————————————————- As many of you are probably aware, my moniker of ‘Wandering Swordsman’ used in these videos is based on the old European concept of a non guild affiliated instructor in swordsmanship being little better than a vagabond. This is particularly apt due to my lifestyle choice of living on a boat and travelling around the south of England, putting up posters and offering classes wherever I happen to stop. -———————————————————————————- Technique 1 a.) If the head of your opponents weapon lies lower than yours, place your fork over their haft, forcing it down. b.) Pass forwards, sliding the fork up the haft to your opponents hands. c.) Fall back into guard. Technique 2 a.) If the head of your opponents weapon lies higher than yours, place your fork under their haft and force their weapon aside. b.) Pass forwards, thrusting at your opponent one handed. c.) If your thrust misses, pull your opponent off balance as you lacerate them with the hook, stepping back into guard. For more on this subject, or if you would like to purchase your own training weapons to practice the content of these videos, please visit our website: www.tempus-fugitives.co.uk I finally managed to buzz those nasty, messy head-weeds off my scalp! Phew... The great plague of 2020 has certainly allowed me to cultivate my 16th c. beard, although I seem to be getting fatter every episode too 😅🥺🍺 If you want to support the channel, feel free to get me a coffee over at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JayMaxwell and don’t forget to like and subscribe ☕️ #diaryofawanderingswordsman #tempusfugitives #coffee
The Two-Handed Greatsword (Spada a Due Mani) - Anonimo Bolognese (ca. 1500 - 1550) - 9th action The first in a new series on the use of the Two-Handed Greatsword (Spada a due Mani), this is from the Manuscripts attributed to the ‘Anonimo Bolognese’ (ca. 1500 - 1550). Performed with a synthetic blade due to public access, this is the 9th action. -———————————————————————————- As many of you are probably aware, my moniker of ‘Wandering Swordsman’ used in these videos is based on the old European concept of a non guild affiliated instructor in swordsmanship being little better than a vagabond. This is particularly apt due to my lifestyle choice of living on a boat and travelling around the south of England, putting up posters and offering classes wherever I happen to stop. -———————————————————————————- Initiating action a.) Begin the action in cinghiara porta di ferro alta, with your false edge in contact with that of your opponent. b.) Cut a mandritto into your opponents blade as you pass right. c.) Inflict a falso to your opponents face as you draw your left foot behind your right. Counter action a.) Stand in guardia di porta di ferro alta, and do not react as your opponent beats down your blade. b.) Raise your hands over your head to catch your opponents falso. c.) Pass left, turning your blade over your head and gripping it at halfsword, so that the blade slopes down and to your left. Force your opponents blade to the side. d.) Finish with a mandritto to your opponents head. I finally managed to buzz those nasty, messy head-weeds off my scalp! Phew... The great plague of 2020 has certainly allowed me to cultivate my 16th c. beard, and I seem to be looking somewhat trimmer again too 😃 If you want to support the channel, feel free to get me a coffee over at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JayMaxwell and don’t forget to like and subscribe ☕️ #diaryofawanderingswordsman #tempusfugitives #coffee
The Military Billhook (Welsh or Forest Bill) - George Silver (1599) - paradoxes, ch. 13 pt. 1&2 George Silver was a controversial character, even in his time, for his vehement opposition to the popular Italian systems being taught in London during the 16th century. Claiming to be revealing the older English methods of combat, his ‘Paradoxes of Defense for the True Handling of all Manner of Weapons’ does give an excellent description of the principles upon which this systems is grounded. The bill was the primary infantry weapon of Tudor armies, and described by George Silver as having “advantage against all manner of weapons whatsoever”. Ironically, Di Grassi, the author of an earlier book on Italian methodology popular in London - including the use of the bill - agreed with this notion in stating that the bill was the final and most superior form of polearm. -———————————————————————————- As many of you are probably aware, my moniker of ‘Wandering Swordsman’ used in these videos is based on the old European concept of a non guild affiliated instructor in swordsmanship being little better than a vagabond. This is particularly apt due to my lifestyle choice of living on a boat and travelling around the south of England, putting up posters and offering classes wherever I happen to stop. -———————————————————————————- Technique 1 a.) Catch your opponents weapon in the fork of yours and displace it down and to the side. b.) Run the fork up the haft of their weapon, and onto their hands as you start forward. c.) Continue to pass forward to catch your opponents neck or limbs with the hook of the bill. d.) Lacerate and unbalance your opponent by yanking sharply on the bill as you pass back. e.) Although not strictly speaking in the text, it seems impolite to just leave your opponent lying there, so finish them off. f.) Return back into guard. Technique 2 a.) Catch your opponents weapon in the fork of yours and displace it down and to the side, this time so forcefully that you cannot attack his hands. b.) Pass forwards into the opening you have created, placing your left hand near the head of your bill as you hook your opponents knee. c.) Pass forwards again, tearing your opponents knee out with the hook of your bill as you close in to grapple. For more on this subject, or if you would like to purchase your own training weapons to practice the content of these videos, please visit our website: www.tempus-fugitives.co.uk I finally managed to buzz those nasty, messy head-weeds off my scalp! Phew... The great plague of 2020 has certainly allowed me to cultivate my 16th c. beard, although I seem to be getting fatter every episode too 😅🥺🍺 If you want to support the channel, feel free to get me a coffee over at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JayMaxwell and don’t forget to like and subscribe ☕️ #diaryofawanderingswordsman #tempusfugitives #coffee