Watercolour drawings of 30 costumes from an 18th-century ball.
The back of each of the illustrations has handwritten inscriptions with names of Polish noblemen and women. The handwriting is believed to be the 3rd Duke of Portland’s and he was known to have visited Warsaw in January 1758.
The Masquerade Ball is from the manuscript and book collection in The Portland Collection at The Harley Gallery, on the historic Welbeck estate.
Generations of the family at Welbeck have added to the book collection, with 17th-century works collected by William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle (patron of the playwright Ben Johnson) and his brother, mathematician Sir Charles Cavendish. Later additions include books and manuscripts purchased by the great 18th-century collector and bibliophile Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford.
Find out more at www.harleygallery.co.uk
