Apsley House is a
Grade I listed building and the entry at the English Heritage website [visit
link] tells
us:
"Mansion. Built 1771-8 by Robert
Adam. Remodelled and enlarged 1828-9 by Benjamin and Philip Wyatt; further
alterations 1853 by Philip Hardwick. Bath stone faced. Roof not visible. 3
storeys. 7 windows wide. Rusticated podium with centre 3 bays breaking forward
to support pedimented Corinthian portico. Podium with arched entrances. Square
headed architraved sash windows; French casements to first floor. Glazing bars.
Corinthian pilaster treatment to corners, sides and rear, with dentil cornice to
all four elevations. Fine interiors, including some original decorations by Adam
Brothers, Wyatt's Waterloo Gallery, etc. The residence of the 1st Duke of
Wellington."
The Virtual Globetrotting website [visit link:] tells
us:
"The house is now run by English
Heritage and is open to the public as a museum and art gallery, although His
Grace the current Duke of Wellington still uses part of the building as a
part-time residence. It is sometimes referred to as the Wellington Museum. It is
perhaps the only preserved example of an English aristocratic town house from
its period. The practice has been to maintain the rooms as far as possible in
the original style and decor. It contains the 1st Duke's collection of
paintings, porcelain, the silver centrepiece made for the Duke in Portugal, c
1815, sculpture and furniture. Antonio Canova's heroic marble nude of Napoleon
holding a gilded Nike in the palm of his hand, made 1802-10, standing 3.45
metres to the raised left hand. It was set up for a time in the Louvre and was
bought by the Government for Wellington in 1816 (Pevsner) and stands in Adam's
Stairwell.
The magnificient 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: John Singleton
Copley
British: Sir William Beechey, John Burnet, George Dawe, John Hoppner,
Edwin Landseer, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Sir David Wilkie
Dutch: 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: Paul Brill, Adriaen Brouwer, Jan
Brueghel the Elder, Anthony van Dyck, Antony Francis van der Meulen, Rubens,
David Teniers the Younger
French: Claude Lorrain, Claude-Joseph
Vernet
German: Hans von Aachen, Adam Elsheimer, Anton Raphael
Mengs
Italian: 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: Claudio Coello, Goya, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Jusepe de
Ribera, Velasquez
The 1st Duke received many gifts from European 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 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."
The London Drum website [visit link] also
tells us:
"Apsley House was designed by Robert Adam in the late
18th-century, and sits at the far end of Piccadilly. It’s prime location made it
the original No.1 London – as it was the first house encountered through the old
city gates.
The Duke of Wellington
This grand home was the residence
of Arthur Wellesley, better known as the Duke of Wellington. He bought it from
the Baron Apsley in 1817, and lived there until his death in
1852.
Despite rising to the position of
Prime Minister, he is perhaps best known for defeating Napoleon at the Battle of
Waterloo. An annual banquet is still held at the house every 18th June to
celebrate his victory. A statue outside shows him sitting on Copenhagen – the
trusty horse which rode him into battle. It was cast from the guns captured from
the French.
The Wellington Museum
The house now contains a fine
museum detailing the Duke’s military and political career, as well as showing
off his collection of paintings, porcelain, medals and memorabilia – including
his own death mask.
The artwork is showcased in the
Waterloo Gallery. At over 27 metres in length, it has works by Goya, Rubens,
Velázquez and Murillo. There is also a three metre statue of Napoleon naked,
chiselled out by Antonio Canova.
The most intriguing piece is
undoubtedly that of the Duke himself, whose face has recently been discovered to
cover that of Napoleon’s brother. Apparently the artist was so counting on a
French victory, that he had to hastily cover it up when the news of the Duke’s
came through!
If you enjoyed the Wellington
Museum, then you may also be interested in visiting the Wellington Arch, or his
tomb in Westminster Abbey."