Wallace Collection, London

After my quick stop at the Selfridges, I walked to Marylebone and had lunch at Pachamama Bar+Kitchen.

For lunch, they offer “Pick & Mix for £9.95 (now £11) per dish”. Can you tell I was looking for bargain in London 😉 I ordered two dishes: 1)Hamachi Tiradito with salsa verde, tigers milk, tomatillos and 2)Crispy lamb belly with miso and jalapeño purée. Both were delectable and surprisingly filling.

From the restaurant it was a couple of minutes walk to the Wallace Collection.

The Wallace Collection is a museum which displays works of art collected in the 18th and 19th centuries by five generations of a British aristocratic family – the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess. In the 19th century, the Marquesses of Hertford were one of the wealthiest families in Europe. They owned large properties in England, Wales and Ireland, and increased their wealth through successful marriages. Politically of lesser importance, the 3rd and 4th Marquess and Sir Richard Wallace became leading art collectors of their time. -Source: Wikipedia

The museum is free to enter and offers free guided tour everyday from 14:30 to 15:30. Limited space. Sign up at the information desk.

Upon entering the main entraces we came to the Grand Staircase

adorn with Francois Boucher’s paintings including (L) The Rising of the Sun, (R) The Setting of the Sun, privately commissioned by Mademe de Pompadour, and Mercury confiding the Infant Bacchus to the Nymphs, The Rape of Europa.

Behind the Grand Staircase on the ground floor is the Dining Room with a sculpture of Bacchante and the Infant Bacchus (L) and a bust of Madame de Sérilly by Jean-Antoine Houdon (R)

To the right of the Dining Room is the Back State Room

The room has a couple of tapestries, some paintings by the Dutch painter Jan Weenix and an exquisite collection of soft-paste porcelain from Sèvres, France.

To the left of the dining room is the Billiard Room

It was decorated Louis XIV style with a magnificent clock and wardrobe by French cabinate maker André-Charles Boulle, who is known for perfecting the technique of inlaying gilt brass and tortoise-shells.

Upstairs are gallery after gallery of Old Master (before 18th-century European) paintings, most notably Titian – whose painting of Perseus and Andromeda suffered water damage because it was “hung unglazed over a bath in Sir Richard Wallace’s dressing room” until its authenticity and value was correctly identified – “The Rainbow Landscape“by Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck, Claude, Diego Vélasquez and the unmistakable Jan Weenix with his signature peacocks.

(Pictures in Slide format, click through to view)

Frans Hal’s “The Laughing Cavalier”.

Rembrandt, Fragonard’s “The Swing“, more Boucher, including “Madame de Pompadour“

(Pictures in Slide format, click through to view)

Thomas Gainsborough

Joshua Reynolds

Some paintings with doubtful characters, such as “The Village Alchemist“, “The Lute Player” and “The Listening Housewife“

warning the viewers of the temptation and the moral traps in this world.

And many more……

I stayed a good 3-4 hours and did not have time to see the Arms and Armour collection in the basement.

I highly recommend this museum to any visitors of London. Free entry, great collection, DO get on the guided tour if time allows and ask questions. Enjoy!

Coming up next: Christmas Lights London 2022