Bridgewater House, the residence of the Earl of Ellesmere. The present beautiful Italianate mansion was built by Barry in 1847-50, and stands on the site of Berkshire House, known as Cleveland House after its purchase and presentation by Charles II. to Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, and sold in 1730 to the Duke of Bridgewater. On the death of the third Duke of Bridgewater in 1803 his title became extinct, and the house and its treasures eventually passed to his grand-nephew, created Earl of Ellesmere in 1846. Bridgewater House contains what is to-day admittedly the finest private picture-gallery in England, 'one of the few great collections formed by a great English aristocrat of the 18th century, which still fortunately remains intact.' Before the War visitors were courteously admitted on Wednesday and Saturday, after previous application in writing.
The collection of paintings was originally formed by the third Duke, the nucleus coming from the famous gallery of Philippe Egalite, Duc d'Orleans, who sold his Italian and Flemish pictures to a Brussels banker in 1792. These were purchased for �43,000 on behalf of the Duke, the Earl Gower (his nephew), and the Earl of Carlisle, who retained a selection of the paintings and sold the remainder in 1800 for �41,000.
GROUND FLOOR. In Lady Ellesmere's Boudoir (not always shown when the family is in residence): 38. Raphael, Madonna, the 'Bridgewater Madonna' ('in small part by Raphael' - B. Berenson), transferred from panel to canvas and impaired also by over-cleaning and repainting; 23. Van Dyck, Madonna; 37. Raphael (?), Holy Family, the 'Madonna del Passeggio,' a late work, perhaps finished by a pupil ('the character and expression of Christ are dull and inanimate'); 35. Raphael, Holy Family, the 'Madonna with the Palm Tree,' a circular canvas ('in part by Raphael'-B. Berenson); 36. Attributed to Raphael 'The Virgin with the Diadem.' There is an old and very good repetition of this picture in the Louvre (No. 1497), likewise a work of the studio. Drawing-Room: 216. A. Cuyp, Landing of Prince Maurice at Dordrecht, one of the artist's masterpieces; 208. Paul Potter, Oxen in a meadow (signed in full and dated 1650); 242. Metsu, Lady with a dog (a late work); 241. Wouverman. Cavalry engagement; 173. Rembrandt, Dutch gentleman in an arm-chair (signed and dated 1637); 120. Sir J. Reynolds, Mrs. Trecothick (not Lady Montague). North Sitting-Room: 501. Velazquez, Portrait of himself (?); 231. G. Dou, Woman at a window selling herrings (very like the signed picture at Petrograd); 124. Dou, Portrait of himself, aged 22, painted under the influence of his master, Rembrandt; 32. Velazquez (more probably Carreno), Julian Valcarcel, natural son of Olivares.
STAIRCASE and UPPER LANDING. 10. Lodovico Carracci, Marriage of St. Catherine, a copy of Correggio's famous picture in the Parma Gallery; 22. Salvator Rosa, Riposo, a large signed work. 63-69. N. Poussin. The Seven Sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Penance, Ordination, Eucharist, Extreme Unction), painted on a red ground but now very dark in places. The series was purchased by the Duc d'Orleans for 120,000 livres and acquired by the Duke of Bridgewater for �4900. A similar series is at Belvoir, the Duke of Rutland's seat in Leicestershire. Pannini, 6. Interior of a picture-gallery; 5. View of St. Peter's, both purchased from the Athenaeum of Boston, U.S.A.
PICTURE GALLERY. 117. Guido Reni, Assumption of the Virgin; 4C. Tintoretto, Descent from the Cross. 18. Titan, Diana and Callisto, a companion picture to No. 17 (below) and, like it, painted in 1559. Both works belong to Titian's third period, and 'in them can be seen a fierce ardent glow of sunset vigour, as they mark the zenith of Titian's later career.' 89. Paris Bordone, Holy Family; *19. Titian, Venus rising from the sea ('Hellenic in its presentation of mere beauty unadorned'); 31. Seb. del Piombo (?), Entombment; 77. Titian, Allegory of the three ages (an early work). 17. Titian, Diana and her nymphs interrupted at the bath by the approach of Actaeon. The heads are mostly in profile. 90. Lor. Lotto, Madonna and Child with saints (an early signed work); 130. Teniers, Alchemist (signed; painted in 1649); 186. Rembrandt, Portrait of himself (1659); 154. A. van Ostade, Backgammon-players, an old and somewhat enlarged replica of the picture in Buckingham Palace; Metsu, 217. Woman selling herrings, 194. Cavalier; 244. Dou, Interior with a young violin-player ('perhaps as a whole the most perfect work that the master ever produced' - H. de Groot); 140. P. de Hooch (not Gillis van Schagen), Interior with a woman nursing her child; A. Cuyp, 147. The piping herdsman, 200. Landscape with a woman milking a cow, 189. Woman on horseback conversing with peasants; 283. Wouverman, Watering horses; 228. Wouverman (not Dirk Stoop), Travellers halting; A. van Ostade, 117. Lawyer in his study (1671), 126. Dutch peasant drinking a toast (1677), 203. Dutch courtship, 166. Peasants playing skittles (1676); Brouwer, 222. Peasants singing (1633), 236. Landscape ('one of his best works of this kind'), once assigned to Rembrandt; J. van Ruysdael, 266. View across the plain of Haarlem, 247. Landscape with fishermen ('an excellent picture'); Hobbema, 148. Watermill (signed and dated 1657), 256. Woodcutters; Rembrandt, 187. Young lady with flowers in her hair (1634), 136. Man with a scanty brown beard (painted about 1645), 168. Hannah with Samuel in the Temple (1648).
Adjoining Room: 79, 80, 80A. Saints from an altarpiece by Andrea Sabbatini da Salerno, a Neapolitan artist influenced by Raphael and C. de Sesto. Next Room (overlooking St. James's Park): 153. J. Steen, Village school; pictures by Claude, Cuyp, and Turner. - Next Room; 277. Gainsborough (under the influence of Cuyp), Cows in a landscape. Last Room: 286. Delaroche, Charles I. insulted by soldiers after his condemnation (1836); 259. Reynolds, Portrait-group, believed to represent Lord and Lady Clive, with a child and ayah (1764).
