Travel Tip: Art and Archaeology in England
Painting, Passion and Politics

Painting, Passion and Politics: Masterpieces from the Walpole Collection ENGLAND LONDON  •  Hermitage Rooms at Somerset House  •  Ongoing   Sir Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, and Britain's first Prime Minister, assembled for his beloved estate, Houghton Hall, Norfolk, one of the 18th century's most famous art collections. The sale in 1778-9 to Catherine the Great of 204 works from the Houghton by Walpole's eccentric and volatile grandson, the 3rd Earl of Orford, was surrounded by great secrecy and wild rumour. There had been hopes that the collection might be acquired for the nation and the sale was perceived as indicativee of the declining state of the country. The exhibition presents some 30 masterpieces from the Walpole collection, most returning to England - albeit - for the first time in over 200 years. It reflects Walpole's taste for large paintings with a rich core of works by 17th century Flemish and Italian painters such as Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Frans Snyders, Jacob Jordaens, Guido Reni, Luca Giordano, Carlo Maratti and Salvator Rosa. In addition there are paintings by Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain and two works by Bartolomeo Murillo in their original frames designed for Houghton by William Kent. Contact: Tel: (44) 020 78 45 46 00 email this item to a friend