Sir Richard Wallace: the Collector

Interesting exhibition at the  Wallace Collection looking at items collected by Sir Richard Wallace to mark the  200th anniversary of his birth.

 
Wallace had been private secretary to the 4th Marquise of Hertford and unexpectedly inherited his fortune and art collection although it is thought that he might have been his illegitimate son. Wallace had been a collector in his own right but this fortune allowed him to buy on a huge scale. His taste was for Medieval and Renaissance decorative art and armour.

I loved the still life by Desgoffe of his collection with a number of the items shown in it displayed in the exhibition including a wooden Hercules by Francesco Pomarano mentioned in a 1560 history of Padua along with a shield made for Henry II of France in 1558-9.

I loved a pair of small wax portraits like wonderful 3D Renaissance portraits also St Hubert’s hunting horn which had been given to Charles the Bold in 1468. However my favourite item was a stunning majolica plate of women bathing.


 
It was also a good chance to see the collection’s refurbished and enlarged exhibition space. It had a cellar like feeling to it and liked the small side rooms. It will be interesting to see how they use it.
 
Closes on 6 September 2018

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