The Wallace Collection Ticket Portal

BSL interpretation will be available in the Theatre. Stagetext captions will be available both online and in the Theatre.

The Wallace Collection is home to an exceptional group of fascinating timepieces, which are brought together for the first time in our display, Keeping Time: Clocks by Boulle. Join curator, Alexander Collins, to learn how André-Charles Boulle, cabinetmaker to the Sun King, Louis XIV, fused bold baroque design and sumptuous ornament with groundbreaking mechanisms made by leading clockmakers.

About the speaker: Alexander Collins is Curator of Decorative Arts at the Wallace Collection. Previously, he was Assistant Curator for Portraits of Dogs: From Gainsborough to Hockney and Leverhulme Fellow for the prestigious Riesener Project, in which he researched the furniture of Jean-Henri Riesener and contributed to the Project’s monograph and digital resources. Alexander was also Decorative Arts Curatorial Intern at the Royal Collection.

Take part at the museum: No ticket required, drop in on the day. Join us in the Theatre for this special talk.

Watch Online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum. Book a free ticket online to receive a Zoom link. Ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks only.  

Learn about one of the greatest artistic accomplishments of the French Renaissance: the production of richly decorated painted enamels for use and display. Made in family workshops in Limoges in central France, these beautiful and intriguing works of art were highly prized at the courts of François I and Henri II. We’ll explore their development from their 15th-century origins to post-Renaissance decline, focusing on how they were made and for whom. You’ll be introduced to the wide range of items produced, from devotional objects to tableware, portraits and decorative furnishings. Looking at the 19th century, which witnessed their stylistic revival, we’ll also discover the high demand for Renaissance examples among collectors like Sir Richard Wallace.

Read the full course description here. 

Joining Information and Format: This course will be taught through Zoom Webinar. Each course session duration is 120 minutes, including a five-minute break and Q&A session with the tutor.  

Tickets are for all dates of this course. Ticketholders will be emailed the Zoom link, Webinar ID and Passcode 24 hours in advance of the first course session, which should be retained for accessing both sessions.   

Course Recording: This course will be recorded. Within 48 hours of each course session, ticket holders will be emailed a link to view the recording, which will be available for two weeks.

Depictions of the Nativity and Adoration – both momentous events in the Christian story - abound in Western European art. Join Clare Ford-Wille as she traces these themes in a range of Wallace Collection paintings. Looking at key sources of these stories - the Bible and The Golden Legend - we’ll see how they inspired painters to create works which continue to astound and invite contemplation.

About the speaker: Clare Ford-Wille was an Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London and lectures regularly for many institutions including the V&A, the National Trust, The Arts Society and the Art Fund as well as leading groups to places of art historical interest. 

Take part at the museum: No ticket required, drop in on the day. Join us in the Theatre for this special talk.

Watch online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum. Book a free ticket online to receive a Zoom link. Ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks only. 

Explore the creative possibilities of watercolour for drawing the human body. Taking inspiration from watercolour miniatures and oil paintings in the Collection, investigate how the close study of artworks can inspire greater experimentation and expression in the life drawing studio. Starting with drawing materials on Saturday and moving into watercolour on Sunday, you’ll develop a range of approaches for using colour in response to the female nude.

Each day starts with looking and sketching in the galleries, followed by an immersive three hours drawing the life model. Our course structure of short, guided exercises and longer poses is designed to support all levels of experience, including beginners.

Read the full course description here.  

Joining Information and Format: This masterclass will take place in the Learning Studio, Lower Ground Floor at the museum.

Equipment and Materials: Please wear clothes suitable for a messy workshop. All materials and equipment are provided.  

Learn how Ovid’s outstanding narrative poem, Metamorphoses, inspired artists including Titian, Salvator Rosa and Claude to create some of the greatest Western European artworks, with prime examples located in the Wallace Collection.

Ovid’s retelling of stories relating to the gods and goddesses of classical antiquity involved intriguing references to the subject of transformation. We’ll see how centuries later, his epic poem fired the imagination of artists, challenging them to find compelling and innovative visual responses to his written word. Alongside paintings, we’ll consider how Metamorphoses has manifested in sculpture, porcelain, furniture and clocks.

About the speaker: Clare Ford-Wille was an Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London and lectures regularly for many additional institutions including the V&A, the National Trust, The Arts Society, the Art Fund as well as leading groups to places of art historical interest in Europe, Armenia and the USA.

Take part at the museum: This course will take place in the Theatre, Lower Ground Floor. Participants taking part at the museum are encouraged to visit the galleries in their own time afterwards.

Watch online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum via Zoom. Online ticketholders will be emailed a link to join 24 hours in advance. Ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks only.

Join our Curator of Decorative Arts, Alexander Collins, and Senior Furniture Conservator, Jürgen Huber, for an exclusive demonstration tour that reveals the fascinating history and intricate designs of Boulle marquetry furniture. Learn how Boulle's innovative techniques dazzled the court of Louis XIV and how we care for these complex objects today.

Sessions start with a short contextual presentation before we embark on an interactive tour of our galleries. Each session is designed to accommodate all levels of experience and knowledge, including beginners.

Joining Information and Format: This demonstration tour will take place in the Meeting Room, Lower Ground Floor, and in galleries throughout the museum.

Join our Curator of Decorative Arts, Alexander Collins, and Senior Furniture Conservator, Jürgen Huber, for an exclusive demonstration tour that reveals the fascinating history and intricate designs of Boulle marquetry furniture. Learn how Boulle's innovative techniques dazzled the court of Louis XIV and how we care for these complex objects today.

Sessions start with a short contextual presentation before we embark on an interactive tour of our galleries. Each session is designed to accommodate all levels of experience and knowledge, including beginners.

Joining Information and Format: This demonstration tour will take place in the Meeting Room, Lower Ground Floor, and in galleries throughout the museum.

Why is British art so overlooked? Is it because Britain itself has never been enthusiastic about art? Or has British art suffered an injustice? Join renowned art historian, Bendor Grosvenor, for a fresh and frank assessment of the history of British art, from those who made it to those for whom it was made, with a close look at some of the British masterpieces in the Wallace Collection.

About the speaker: Bendor Grosvenor is an art historian specialising in Old Masters and British art. Best known from the BBC series Britain’s Lost Masterpieces and Fake or Fortune?, he has discovered a number of important paintings by prominent artists including Van Dyck, Rubens, Titian, Gainsborough, Beale and Lawrence. He previously worked in the London art trade, and is now based in Scotland.

Take part at the museum: Join us at the museum for this talk, followed by refreshments and the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of Bendor Grosvenor's new book, The Invention of British Art, until 20.45.

Investigate approaches and practices for drawing the human body. Making connections between the model in the studio and artworks in the collections, we’ll focus on experimentation and tune into themes associated with time and figure in art, such as awareness of the present moment, the stillness of he model as ‘paused’ time, and the passing of time. By the end of the weekend, you’ll have made a number of drawings of the nude figure in a range of materials, both dry and wet. The course structure of short, guided practices and longer poses is designed to support all levels of experience, including beginners.

Read the full course description here.

Joining Information and Format: This masterclass will take place in the Learning Studio, Lower Ground Floor at the museum.

Equipment and Materials: Please wear clothes suitable for a messy workshop in a room kept warm for life models. All materials and equipment are provided.

Made over 300 years ago, Rembrandt’s paintings remain compelling and emotive. In his lifetime, his prodigious talent led him to become the most fêted artist in 17th century Amsterdam, and his success attracted a host of pupils to his studio. We’ll take a close look at works by Rembrandt, and a selection of his followers, housed both in the Wallace Collection and beyond. We’ll also discuss how attribution of his works can be a hotly contested field, as well as considering how he has continued to be an inspiration for modern painters.

About the speaker: Colin Wiggins worked for over 30 years at the National Gallery in roles including Head of Education and Special Projects Curator. He was responsible for the Gallery’s Associate Artist scheme, inviting contemporary artists such as Paula Rego, Peter Blake and Ana Maria Pacheco to become involved in the life of the Gallery and to hold exhibitions of their work there.

Take part at the museum: This course will take place in the Theatre, Lower Ground Floor. Participants taking part at the museum are encouraged to visit the galleries in their own time afterwards.

Watch online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum. Online ticketholders will be emailed a Zoom link to join 24 hours in advance. Ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks only.

Our free display, Keeping Time: Clocks by Boulle, showcases five exceptional timepieces made by one of history’s greatest cabinetmakers.

Delve into the world of baroque France and learn more about Boulle’s furniture with leading specialists, including curators and conservators from the Palace of Versailles, the Château de Chantilly and C2RMF. You’ll explore the evolution of Boulle’s iconic designs, his materials and techniques and his enduring legacy.

Full programme to follow.

Take part at the Museum: This event will take place in the Theatre, Lower Ground Floor at the museum.

Watch Online: This event will also be broadcast live from the museum on Zoom. All ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the event, which will be available for two weeks only.