Canaletto, Venice: the Grand Canal from the Palazzo Foscari to the Carità, Italy, c. 1740–50
Group Visits Take a Grand Tour
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, four generations of the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace amassed one of the finest collections of art ever assembled by one family. Displayed in Hertford House, in peaceful Manchester Square, you can see world famous works of art, like Hals’s The Laughing Cavalier, Fragonard’s The Swing and Rembrandt’s Titus, the Artist’s Son. This unique collection also includes a whole host of lesser known masterpieces, including eighteenth-century French paintings, furniture and porcelain; Old Master paintings; Renaissance art; sculpture; and a worldclass armoury. Visit the room which contains more pieces of Marie-Antoinette’s furniture than any other room in the world, come face to face with equestrian jousting armour, and discover the secrets held within a sparkling collection of gold boxes, all in the sumptuous yet intimate surroundings of Hertford House. The Wallace Collection is ideally located just off Oxford Street, so you can combine your visit with the many attractions London has to offer. Plan your Grand Tour today…
Snuffbox, Jean Ducrollay, Paris, 1743–4, detail
Discover a host of treasures
New for 2013 Murillo at the Wallace Collection: Paintings of the Spanish Golden Age 6 February – 12 May 2013 This display highlights a treasure of the Wallace Collection: an extensive group of paintings by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, one of the greatest Spanish artists of the seventeenth century. Depicting religious subjects, and including a rare loan, these works demonstrate Murillo’s exquisite manipulation of brushstroke and colour. His ‘warm’ (calido) style and powerful communication of emotions make this exhibition a sight to behold.
Murillo, The Adoration of the Shepherds c. 1665–70, The Wallace Collection
The Discovery of Paris: Watercolours by Early Nineteenth-Century British Artists 20 June – 15 September 2013 The Discovery of Paris charts the remarkable contribution of the British to the iconography of Paris, depicting the French capital as it became the major destination for mass middle-class tourism that it has remained ever since. Works by Turner, Girtin and Bonington are among sixty rarely seen watercolours, preparatory prints and drawings lent by Tate, the V&A, the British Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum, as well as several private collectors. Discover Paris as never before…
J.M.W. Turner, Paris, the Pont Neuf and the Ile de la Cité © Tate, London, 2012
The Male Nude: Eighteenth-Century drawings from the Paris Academy 24 October 2013 – 19 January 2014 Including artists such as Rigaud, Boucher, Nattier, Pierre, Carle van Loo, Gros and Jean-Baptiste Isabey, this exhibition of nearly forty French drawings of male nude figures, drawn between the late seventeenth and the late eighteenth centuries, is unprecedented in Britain. Lent by France's version of the Royal Academy, many of the drawings are by artists represented in the Wallace Collection. Drawing the human figure was seen as the very foundation of art. Seen alongside our paintings, they will provide a fascinating insight into the work of artists who were Masters of their generation.
François Boucher, Study of a man lying down, an elbow leaning on the ground, 1739 © ENSBA, Paris
About our Guided Tours
What we offer
• Groups can number up to 50 people
• Each group will be led by one of our expert guide lecturers
Highlights tour – Discover the finest private collection of art ever assembled by one family. Relive the spirit of the fashionable (and often scandalous!) collectors in this fascinating tour which introduces you to all of the Wallace Collection’s key works of art.
• Tours are available from 10.15am – 3.30pm
Specialist tour – Focusing on various sections of our renowned collection:
• Tours last approximately 1 hour 15 minutes
• Old Master Paintings
• Maximum tour size is 25 (larger groups will be split)
• Many foreign languages are available – please call for details • We require a minimum of 14 days notice to arrange a tour Please note that the Great Gallery will be closed for refurbishment until 2014. We can only take a limited number of groups daily, so please be aware that tours are dependent on availability and group sizes.
• Eighteenth-century French fine and decorative arts • Princely Arms and Armour Exhibition Tour – Special tours allow you to explore key exhibitions throughout the year, subject to availability. Please note that due to the size of the Exhibition Galleries, groups on the exhibition tours will be limited to 20.
To book your group visit or for more information call
Costs and payment details
Transport
£8.00 per head £4.00 per head student rate A minimum charge of £96.00 applies regardless of whether the group is less than 12 in number (or 24 if composed of students).
The Wallace Collection is situated in the heart of London’s West End.
Full payment (by cheque or credit card) must be made 14 days in advance of the tour. Cancellations or changes of date must be made a minimum of 14 days in advance of the tour or payment will be forfeited.
Unguided groups There is no charge for unguided groups to visit the Collection but they must book no later than 14 days in advance. Please also note that bookings are availability dependent and groups are unable to join our public tours.
The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, London, W1U 3BN Coaches may drop off and pick up directly outside. Some parking is available for small minibuses subject to availability. There is limited parking for orange badge holders. To book a parking space, please call 020 7563 9524.
Dining Set in the heart of the Wallace Collection in our beautiful limestone courtyard with its soaring glass roof, The Wallace Restaurant serves morning coffees and pastries, lunches and afternoon tea, as well as snacks throughout the day. Please call 020 7563 9505 for details of group rates and menus and to book.
020 7563 9551 or e-mail booking@wallacecollection.org
We look forward to seeing you soon! Free Admission Opening Hours Daily 10am – 5pm Closed 24 – 26 December Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN www.wallacecollection.org
Baker Street
The Wallace Collection Oxford Circus Marble Arch
Bond Street
Captions for images on pages 2-3, from left to right, top to bottom: Detail of dagger with scabbard, Unknown Artist / Maker, late 17th – early 18th century; Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing, 1767; The Billiard Room; Frans Hals, The Laughing Cavalier, 1624; Rosa Bonheur, Brizo, A Shepherd's Dog, 1864; Mace of office, Unknown Artist / Maker, late 18th century; Dish: The Triumph of Neptune, Francesco Xanto Avelli da Rovigo, 1533; Rembrandt, Titus, the Artist's Son, c. 1657; Detail of Louis XV's Commode, Antoine-Robert Gaudreaus, 1739; Nicolas Lancret, Mademoiselle de Camargo Dancing, 1730; Peter Paul Rubens, The Rainbow Landscape, c. 1636; Detail of Vase Boileau belonging to a Garniture of Three Vases; Manufacture de Sèvres, 1758–9.
A Family Collection | A National Museum | An International Treasure House