European treasures in a Georgian London townhouse
Amassed by successive generations of British nobility, the Wallace Collection and its home at Hertford House was gifted to Britain in 1897, becoming one of the most significant bequests of art ever left to the nation. The famous art historian Kenneth Clark once called this “the greatest picture gallery in Europe”, with paintings from the 14th to the late 19th century including masterpieces by Titian, Diego Velázquez, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Thomas Gainsborough. The mansion also contains princely arms and armor, decorative arts, and one of the world’s finest collections of pictures by 18th-century French masters such as Boucher and Fragonard. The treasures are presented in a house museum style, with salon hangs set in rooms resplendent with damask, jewel-toned wallpaper, parquet flooring and grand fireplace mantels. Must-see works include Frans Hals’ “The Laughing Cavalier” (1624) and Fragonard’s “The Swing” (1767). Its director since 2016, Xavier Bray, has spearheaded an acclaimed programme of temporary exhibitions.
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