Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Nice book in great condition. Pages in excellent condition. No notes or highlighting. See images. Fantastic book.

About the book >.>.> During the quarter century of its existence (1806-1830) The Staf- ford Gallery represented the greatest art collection in Regency London. It comprised in fact two major collections of Continen- tal Old Masters: that formed by the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater; and that formed by his nephew the 2nd Marquess of Stafford (later 1st Duke of Sutherland). Peter Humfrey’s in-depth analysis pro- vides us with the first detailed history of both collections. The story begins with Bridgewater’s purchases in Rome in the 1750s and continues with the major acquisitions of the 1790s (especially from the Orl?ans collection) and with the incorporation of the duke’s collection into the Gallery created by the marquess. The book ends with the reinstallation of the two collections by his sons in two of London’s greatest town houses of the early Victor- ian period Stafford House and Bridgewater House. While providing a detailed account of the personalities and dif- fering motives of the three generations of collectors and owners Peter Humfrey examines the way in which the Stafford Gallery was arranged and displayed. He also discusses reactions to it by contemporaries from sophisticated critics such as William Hazlitt to the general public and analyses major publications on it such as the four-volume illustrated catalogue by William Young Ottley of 1818. (MP)