From Russia with love: historic paintings revisit Houghton Hall

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Houghton Revisited: The Walpole Masterpieces from Catherine the Great’s Hermitage

Houghton Hall in Norfolk 17 May–29 September 2013

Works by Rembrandt, Poussin, Rubens, Van Dyck and Velasquez are among a collection of over 70 works from the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg and other international museums, which have travelled to Britain for this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition. The collection was originally brought together by Britain’s first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole (1676–1745) and after his death was sold to Catherine the Great of Russia in 1779 to clear family debts. The paintings have not been seen in Britain for over 200 years, and they will be shown in their original settings at Houghton, the Walpole ancestral home in Norfolk, one of Britain’s finest historic houses.

A review will appear in Cassone among content to be added to our ‘June’ issue early in July