Houghton Revisited: The Walpole Masterpieces from Catherine the Great's Hermitage

by Larissa Dukelskaya, John Harris, Andrew Moore

This new book offers a portrait of a perfectly preserved English country house and the magnificent art collection of its former owner, Sir Robert Walpole (1676–1745), Britain’s first prime minister. Walpole amassed a dazzling array of Old Masters, including paintings by Van Dyck, Poussin, Rubens, and Rembrandt, and hired celebrated decorator William Kent to design the interiors of Houghton Hall specifically to showcase them. But when Walpole died, his family was shocked to find that he had amassed huge debt, and were forced to sell the treasured collection—to Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. Now, these masterpieces are returning to Houghton Hall. Essays uncover the wonders of Walpole’s collection and trace its journey to the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, to which most of the works now belong.

Genres: Art

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2013

Reviews

[E. G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foreword, by HRH The Prince of Wales
Foreword, by Mikhail Piotrovsky
Foreword, by Nicholas Penny
Preface, by The Marquess of Cholmondeley
Sponsor's Preface
Acknowledgements

--Houghton Revisited: An Introduction, Thierry Morel
--Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister and Collector, Andrew Moore
--The Making of Houghton Hall, John Harris
--The Walpole Pictures in Russia, Larissa Dukelskaya

--Catalogue Plates with Introduction by Thierry Morel

--Catalogue Entries

Endnotes
Selected Bibliography
Photographic Acknowledgements
Index

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated, I can't believe I left it so long to read this book.

It is full of glossy, high colour photography about the return of much of Walpole's art collection to Houghton for a special exhibition.

There are also articles and catalogue entries regarding the paintings.

I must add a copy of this book now to my Walpole/collectors shelf.