Apsley House - Paintings Collection

Paintings Collection

The magnificent collection of 200 paintings includes 83 which were acquired by the first Duke after the Battle of Vitoria in 1813, the paintings were in Joseph Bonaparte's baggage train, they were from the Spanish royal collection and were presented to Wellington by King Ferdinand VII of Spain. The painting collection includes work by:

American School

  • John Singleton Copley

British School

  • Sir William Beechey
  • John Burnet
  • George Dawe
  • John Hoppner
  • Edwin Landseer
  • Sir Thomas Lawrence
  • William Salter
  • Sir David Wilkie

Dutch School

  • Pieter de Hooch
  • Jan van Huysum
  • Nicolaes Maes
  • Willem van Mieris
  • Antonis Mor
  • Aernout van der Neer
  • Adriaen van Ostade
  • Cornelius van Poelenburgh
  • Jan Steen
  • Willem van de Velde the Younger
  • Jan Victors

Flemish School

  • Paul Brill
  • Adriaen Brouwer
  • Jan Brueghel the Elder
  • Anthony van Dyck
  • Antony Francis van der Meulen
  • Rubens
  • David Teniers the Younger

French School

  • Claude Lorrain
  • Claude-Joseph Vernet

German School

  • Hans von Aachen
  • Adam Elsheimer
  • Anton Raphael Mengs

Italian School

  • Leandro Bassano
  • Giuseppe Cesari
  • Carlo Cignani
  • Antonio da Correggio
  • Luca Giordano
  • Antiveduto Grammatica
  • Guercino
  • Giovanni Paolo Panini
  • Guido Reni
  • Giulio Romano
  • Salvator Rosa
  • Francesco Trevisani
  • Marcello Venusti

Spanish School

  • Velázquez, Diego (4 paintings, including The Waterseller of Seville)
  • Francisco Goya (1 painting)
  • Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (3 paintings)
  • Jusepe de Ribera (3 paintings)

The 1st Duke received many gifts from European continental rulers that are displayed in the House:

  • A pair of large candelabra of Siberian porphyry, ormolu & Malachite centre and two side tables, presented by Nicholas I of Russia.
  • A pair of Swedish porphyry urns, from King Charles XIV John of Sweden.
  • A dinner service of Berlin porcelain, from Frederick William III of Prussia.
  • The Egyptian revival decorative arts dinner service of Sèvres porcelain, from Louis XVIII of France.
  • The silver and silver-gilt Portuguese service of over a thousand pieces, from the Portuguese Council of Regency.
  • The Saxon Service of Meissen porcelain, from Frederick Augustus I of Saxony.
  • Seven marshal's batons from various European continental rulers (and another three from the British). Nine of them are on display at Aspley House (the Russian baton was stolen in the 1960s).

The Duke's uniform and other memorabilia may be seen in the basement.

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