Burghley

Arts and Learning - The Collections - Paintings

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Queen Elizabeth 1st by Marcus Gheeraets the Younger (1561 - 1636)
Queen Elizabeth 1st by Marcus Gheeraets the Younger (1561 - 1636)

The 5th Earl and his wife, Anne, were some of the earliest ’Grand Tourists’. During their trips to Italy they purchased over 350 important paintings, many from contemporary artists. The artists patronised by the 5th Earl were legion, but at Burghley, great works by such artists as Carlo Dolci, Luca Giordano, Carlo Maratta, Giovanni Gaulli and Pietro Liberi form the core of what is now recognised as one of the greatest collections of 17th century Italian art outside Italy. In the second half of the 18th century, this already impressive collection was added to by Brownlow, the 9th Earl (1725-1793). Brownlow inherited his great-grandfather’s love of travel and the arts, travelling in Italy and adding to the remarkable collections already at Burghley. He acquired the splendid Veronese altarpiece that can be seen in the Chapel. The collection also contains excellent examples of portraiture by great artists including Gheeraerts, Kneller, Lely and Gainsborough.