The Wallace Collection is a hidden gem! It’s like a pearl contained within a Faberge egg. Its collection includes world-famous paintings, exquisite sculptures, antique furniture, delicate porcelain, as well as arms and militaria. All of this is contained within a sumptuous 18th-century townhouse.
To cap all of these advantages, the Wallace Collection is free of charge!
As someone who knows London reasonably well, I’m slightly ashamed to say that this place had completely passed under my radar until the past year. I suspect I’m not alone in this – in which case we’ve all been missing out.
One thing that I really liked is how welcoming the Wallace feels. The staff are friendly and in no way officious, and it doesn’t feel like they are trying to grab your money. As well as free entry, there’s only a low discretionary charge for leaving items in the cloakroom. A further great thing is that you’re allowed to take photos within the galleries.
The Wallace is probably most well known for its collection of Old Masters. These include Canaletto, Murillo, Rembrandt, Rubens, and Valasquez.
One of the most famous portraits is that of The Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals. The eyes of the sitter in the painting have that Scooby-Doo quality of following you around the room – it’s quite eerie! Another strange thing about the portrait, which often goes overlooked, is the fact that the man in the photo is neither laughing nor a cavalier. The subject is most probably a Dutch textile merchant. So, conceivably it could be called The Smirking Haberdasher!
The other paintings that captivated me were the two Canaletto’s, depicting views of Venice. These show the artist’s legendary technique and compositional excellence.
Whilst many of the galleries are laid out like a traditional art museum, many of the other rooms have a stately home ambience. Here you’ll find amazing furniture and ornaments, the quality of which is literally jaw-dropping. Unlike most stately homes, however, you can wander freely around these rooms and peer closely at all of the exhibits.
The quality and extent of the collection is phenomenal. The breadth, depth and quality of each of the sections of exhibits are mind-blowing. It’s like taking the best parts of the National Gallery, Blenheim Palace, and the Royal Armories and putting them all under one roof.
A tour will take at least a couple of hours, however, in that time you won’t be able to take in everything. This will mean that there’ll be more to discover on subsequent visits.
Should you need to take a break from all of the culture, then there’s a very nice cafe/restaurant in the covered courtyard.
