Wallace collection: what you need to know about the site

Visit Wallace collection is a place with many incredible works to discover.

If you're visiting London, I'd recommend a detour.

Today, let's take a look at what you can see.

Wallace collection : article summary

The Wallace Collection: at a glance

One of my favorite sounds in London is the jingling of 18th-century clocks striking the hour in the Wallace Collection.

Nestled just a few steps from lively Oxford Street, The Wallace is a museum away from the tourists.

Housed in the family manor Hertford House, the collection was built up by members of the aristocratic family from the mid-18th century onwards. It was bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace at the end of the 19th century.

If you love art, this is the place to be. to spend an afternoon in a quiet London location.

Hertford House: an architectural treasure

Hertford House is worth a visit in itself: with its magnificent silk-upholstered walls, elegant mahogany doors and creaky suspended floors, the building is a wonderful example of 18th-century decoration and design.

It has also seen a great diversity of inhabitants: originally built for its proximity to the Duke of Manchester's estate, the building later housed the Spanish and French embassies. before being transformed in 1900 into an art gallery by Richard Wallace.

Wallace collection: a collection of exceptional works of art

As for the collection itself: where to begin? Rembrandt, Titian, Canaletto, Van Dyck, Watteau, Rubens and Velasquez are all represented with wonderful examples of their work.

Gainsborough and Reynolds can also be found here, as can Frans Hals' "Laughing Cavalier", once the most expensive (and most famous) painting in the world.

You'll find genuine little works of art that you won't be able to see anywhere else. Art lovers will find some of the most popular pieces here.

A journey through history and art

The Wallace also boasts fine examples of French decorative arts in the form of furniture purchased from the Château de Versailles after the French Revolution.

A particular highlight is a suite of furniture that belonged to Marie-Antoinette and is kept in her pleasure palace, the Petit Trianon.

Wallace collection: between decorative arts and French silverware

The French manna continues in a small adjoining room devoted to goldsmiths and silversmiths. All that glitters here is, in fact, gold.

The room sparkles with exquisite snuffboxes, adorned with jewels and meticulously designed to fit perfectly in every owner's hand.

You'll also find the finest collection of 18th-century Sèvres porcelain, considered the pinnacle of connoisseurship in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Various historical and artistic treasures

Imagine eating a shoulder of venison on 19th-century pieces from the table service of Catherine the Great.

Tableware that today would cost millions. You can find these pieces in the building's dining room.

Here you can discover how nobles lived in splendor and enjoyed banquets in centuries gone by.

Wallace collection: discover the weapons and armour collection

Finally, Wallace's collection of historic arms and armor features fine examples from the East, such as a jeweled 17th-century dagger made for a Mogul prince.

European highlights include a "Basinet" knight's helmet, a rare survival of the type worn at Azincourt, two armoured riders and their horses, and a "Basinet" knight's helmet, a rare survival of the type worn at Azincourt.a pair of flintlock pistols belonging to King Louis XIV of France.

Finish the day with lunch in the museum's charming restaurant.

Plan your visit

The best way to discover Wallace is to book a personalized tour of the collection. To be visited on your own, the museum opens :

• Every day 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It is located in Manchester Square and admission is free.

The Wallace Collection is a little-known museum for tourists visiting London. During your visit, if you want to push your discovery of art a little further, I advise you to visit this place.

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