Ah, The Wallace Collection! Even as I contemplate only tackling the highlights from The Wallace Collection, the vastness of this collection overwhelms me and I know that it is a practically impossible task.
Still, today I am in London and, after a long, long time, have returned to my favorite museum. Although I do love a good museum and have been fortunate enough to have browsed through many a fine collection, The Wallace Collection is firmly at the top of my list. So I am certainly not going to let a little thing like whittling the collection down to a select few get me down.
I enter Manchester Square from the south and the grand London Town house that is Hartford House stands before me. The house itself is firmly part of the attraction. This grand old dame is a gem leftover from London’s society days. Owned by generations of British aristocrats the collection was bequeathed to the British nation by Lady Wallace in 1897. The house itself had served several Marquesses of Hartford as well as being the French and Spanish Embassy (presumably not at the same time!).
As I walk in I am greeted by the grand staircase and have a feeling of homecoming. It would certainly have been a privilege and a pleasure, one imagines, to have called this house a home. Today, I am especially delighted that my love of the collection has merged with another love as I find a Manolo Blahnik exhibition in residence.
I take a moment in the hall to peruse the brochure for the exhibition and consider some of the artworks displayed. And then, I plunge in.
A short explanation of each room follows, click on the heading for your link to the highlights, descriptions and photos.
An Enquiring Mind: Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
Manolo Blahnik, a long time fan of the Wallace Collection has personally selected 12 sketches and more than 100 shoes for display throughout the Collection. The collaboration sees Blahnik turn his creative eye from shoes to the furniture, paintings and porcelain of the Collection that have inspired and influenced him over the years.
The Front State Room
The highlight in this room is a serve ware trifecta consisting of two ice cream coolers and a wine bottle cooler from the dinner service that was delivered to Catherine II of Russia in 1779 from the French Manufacture de Sèvres (1778). The Collection holds many more pieces from Sèvres.
The 16th Century Gallery
The 16th Century Gallery, now one room, previously comprised of two separate rooms. Today the gallery contains Medieval and Renaissance works of art primarily collated by Sir Richard Wallace.
The Smoking Room
The Smoking Room continues the Medieval and Renaissance collection where Sir Richard would have invited his male guests to smoke and discuss the day’s affairs after dinner.
In the middle of today’s smoking room stands two incense burners from late 18th Century China. The color is striking and the detail in the paintwork, delicate and beautiful.
European Armoury III
This armoury contains 16th to 19th century armor including swords, very ornate guns, a 17th Century Italian cannon and various suits of armor.
European Armoury II
This armoury houses Renaissance arms and armour dating from the fifteenth to the seventeen centuries. All of the richest and most influential of noblemen commissioned weapons and armour. Although many a creation would have served in war or defense these beautifully crafted and decorated instruments were also used in tournaments, jousts and festivals. Considered as works of art both then and now, the Wallace Collection displays some of the most spectacular examples of arms and armour from this time in all of Britain.
European Armoury I
The first of the European armouries contains Medieval and Renaissance arms and armour from the tenth to the sixteen centuries. Most of Sir Richard Wallace’s collection of European Arms and armour was acquired from the Comte Alfred Emilien de Nieuwerkerke, Minister of Fine Arts to Napoleon III and Director of the Louvre.
Oriental Armoury
The Oriental armoury section contains East European, Turkish and Indo-Persian arms, armour and works of art. The style is distinctly different from the Western European armour section, more colorful and decorative in a different way.
The Dining Room
The dining room is a simple, light room that looks out to the in-house restaurant by Peyton and Byrne. The elegant striped sage wall covering and light floor boards give it a more modern feel than some of the other rooms and yet the decoration remains firmly bedded in history.
The Back Stateroom
The Back Stateroom which is dedicated to rococo at the time of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour. The furniture and decoration against the deep red background is striking as is the scale of the room which is much larger than the dining room and so, can absorb the effects of the color better.
East Gallery II
The whole of the Collection is a sheer joy but this gallery is a particular favorite. I have been exploring the Collection all morning and it is now well into the afternoon. It is hard to find a balance between seeing it all and taking the time to absorb what I see. I pause in front of this painting by an artist that I do not remember hearing of previously and I feel like my world has suddenly changed – both broadened and narrowed concurrently.
Good To Know
The Wallace Collection was established in 1897 from the private collection of the Marquesses of Hertford. Although he was illegitimate, Sir Richard Wallace, whom the collection was named for, inherited the collection and the house from his father the 4th Marquee. It was Sir Richard’s widow who bequeathed the collection to the British nation and a few years later the state purchased the house such that the collection remained on display here. The Wallace Collection opened to the public in 1900.
If you enjoyed these highlights, feel free to explore another of my favorite museums:
- National Museum of Beirut
- Museum of Islamic Art
- National Gallery of Australia
- Peterhof
- Catherine Palace
- Danish National Museum
Would I Return?
Yes. Absolutely and unequivocally yes.