Highlights of the Wallace Collection, London

The Wallace Collection, housed in Hertford House in Manchester Square, a few blocks north of Oxford Street, is one of the best art collections in Britain. Acquired over four generations of discerning spending by the Marquesses of Hertford, the collection is a testament to a refined taste and great wealth, spiced with a delicious whiff of scandal.

The Wallace Collection was bequeathed to the nation in 1897 on the death of Lady Wallace, the widow of Sir Richard Wallace, the last great art collector and philanthropist in the family. The collection was opened to the public as a national museum on 22 June 1900, and has been a great draw ever since.

The Wallace collection includes some iconic works from around Europe. Here are some of the highlights:

Queen Victoria, by Thomas Sully (1838)

This portrait of Queen Victoria was painted the year after she came to the throne. It shows a Queen very different from the one usually thought of in the popular imagination. Young and pretty, she was at the start of her long reign.

The Laughing Cavalier, by Frans Hals (1624)

This wonderful painting is a bit of a mystery. Its subject is neither a cavalier, nor is he laughing. His expression, somewhere between a smile and a smirk, is certainly intriguing, however, giving the impression that he knows something the viewer doesn't, and is quite pleased about it.

Madame de Pompadour, by Francois Boucher (1759)

An elegant painting of the famous mistress of King Louis XV, this portrait of Madame de Pompadour shows her in a lush garden accompanied by her spaniel, Ines. The first Marquess of Hertford met Madame de Pompadour in 1763, and was quite impressed.

The Swing, by Jean-Honore Fragonard (1767)

The Swing is a delightful painting, frilly and flirtatious. It shows a woman, swathed in pink silk, on a swing, poised in mid-air, just beyond the rich of both her elderly husband and her lover.

Miss Jane Bowles, by Joshua Reynolds (1775)

This painting shows a young girl with her pet dog. It is said that the painter Joshua Reynolds played tricks with her so that later she sat for him “with a face full of glee”.

A Dance to the Music of Time, by Nicholas Poussin (1635-6)

This painting shows a group of dancers, representing the seasons. To the right of painting is the god Saturn, accompanying the dancers on his lyre, while above the god Apollo rides his chariot across the sky.