Wallace Collection
⭐ Highligts
The Swing
Icon of Rococo paintingJean-Honoré Fragonard’s 1767 scene captures Parisian high society at play; its glittering brushwork and cheeky story made it one of the 18th century’s most talked-about pictures.
📍 First floor, Painting Galleries
Laughing Cavalier
Frans Hals portrait masterclassPainted in 1624, the sitter isn’t a ‘cavalier’ at all; Hals dazzles with flashing brushwork and embroidered motifs that seem to shimmer as you move.
📍 First floor, Painting Galleries
Perseus & Andromeda
Titian’s late myth paintingTitian’s c.1554-56 canvas, made for Philip II of Spain, shows Perseus swooping in to save Andromeda; look for the loose, late style that inspired generations of painters.
📍 First floor, Painting Galleries
European Armouries
World-class Renaissance armourEtched and gilded field and parade armours from c.1525-1600 show how metal was shaped like fabric; many pieces were made for noble courts and real battle.
📍 Ground floor, Armouries I-II
Sèvres Porcelain
Royal French porcelainThe Wallace holds one of the richest Sèvres collections, including royal commissions from the 1750s-1790s, when pastel colours and gilding set the European taste.
📍 First floor, Porcelain Rooms
Opening Hours
🤓 Fun Facts
The collection was left to the nation in 1897 with free entry for all.
For over a century, objects could not be lent; a 2019 law now allows loans.
Frans Hals’s ‘Laughing Cavalier’ dates to 1624 and the sitter is unknown.
The Armouries include etched and gilded parade pieces made around 1525-1600.
The Wallace holds one of the world’s finest collections of Sèvres porcelain.
