Highlights From The Wallace Collection: The Smoking Room

Ah, The Wallace Collection! Even as I contemplate only tackling the highlights, 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. And so, I begin.

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. Once again the color is outstanding and the detail in the paintwork delicate and beautiful.

Incense was used widely in China and other Asian countries for meditation, prayer, perfuming houses and palaces and in relaxation and educational activities such as music, calligraphy, arts and study. These practices, particularly the use of incense in temples and for prayer and offerings remains popular today. See for example temples in Man Mo, Hong Kong for temple and prayer use.

These tiles, are in the Turkish style and are generally associated with Iznik, a town in the north west of the country. Iznik produced such under glazed tiles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries which were primarily used to decorate imperial buildings. The tiles are characterized by interwoven foliage and flowers primarily in a palate of turquoise, cobalt, sage, red and purple.

These tiles used to decorate the entire Smoking Room and would have helped to reduce the smell of lingering smoke that was common in rooms with heavy furniture and drapery. The tiles from the rest of the room were removed during gallery renovations in 1937 but this small nook was preserved to display the tiles and floor mosaics.

Good To Know

See some of the other rooms in The Wallace Collection or explore another of my favorite museums:

• Manolo Blahnik: An Enquiring Mind
• The 16th Century Gallery
• The East Gallery II
• National Museum of Beirut
• Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar
• National Gallery of Australia

Would I Return?

Yes. An absolute, unequivocal yes.