The Wallace Collection, London

The Wallace Collection, London. 

It has been a while since I’ve had that sweet shop feeling, but walking into London’s Wallace Collection  (free of charge) was a moment of pure joy! Given that I have always had such a romantic taste in Art I could not believe I had never been inside this treasure trove. 

The Wallace collection is a national museum inside a historic townhouse in Manchester Square. Across twenty-five rooms are a collection of French 18th century painting, furniture and porcelain as well as a few Old Masters. They line walls decorated with velvety wallpaper’s with colours like a deliciously bright emerald, deep fuschia and lemon yellow.  

We were utterly overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of flourishing Rococo paintings. Rococo was not only a movement of the decorative arts, but also a lifestyle, which influenced painting, architecture, literature, furniture design, theatre and even social conduct. It illustrated European art’s movement from the grandeur of the church to frivolity and the pursuit of pleasure, known as ‘la fete gal ante’. People began to spend long days frolicking around the lush gardens of aristocrat's estates and attending lavish all night balls. 

The decadence of the porcelain and artwork was dizzying, so thankfully visitors are allowed to sink into the well-placed red velvet sofa’s to look at the paintings.  As we wandered around we were especially captivated by Jean Honore Fragonard’s works, especially my beloved L'escarpollette (Lady on a swing) - the 18^th century vision of immorality - which defined the Rococo period’s pursuit of pleasure and sensuality. Fragonard (1732-1806) was a French painter who worked in Paris during the Rococo period and was famous for his erotic and hedonistic works, of which L’escarpollette is the most famous.

It is this hedonism reflected in the works of the featured artists like Francois Boucher, which makes the experience of exploring the Wallace collection so visually appealing. I would highly recommend it for an afternoon of culture, without the back-breaking scale of a tour of the National Gallery! There is also a gorgeous restaurant for a traditional English tea out in the atrium and a wonderfully cosy library in the basement for students like myself to collect their thoughts and work on dissertations in peace!