Belton House, Lincolnshire
This collection has 19,512 items online
Belton House’s huge collection contains a range of family portraits from 16th-20th century, including superb examples from 17th-century England, including Frederic Lord Leighton’s full-length portrait of Lady Brownlow. Philip Mercier’s conversation piece featuring Lord and Lady Tyrconnel in the park at Belton is another highlight, as are the decorative pictures by Melchior de Hondecoeter, and architectural drawings relating to Belton by Wyatt, Wyatville and Salvin. The prized porcelain collection at Belton reflects how collectors’ tastes changed over the generations, with Chinese beakers from 1600-44 featuring alongside extremely rare, late 18th-century black-ground Sévres porcelain from c.1780. Similarly, the silver collection varies widely: Thomas Heming’s service for Sir John Cust upon both occasions of him becoming Speaker of the House of Commons is outstanding, as are the early 18th-century sconces from the Royal household, and a set of four William and Mary oval pilgrim bottles from ‘Young’ Sir John’s display plate. A jewel in the furniture collection is a 17th-century architectonic cabinet veneered entirely in lapis lazuli, while other highlights within the house are the numerous late 17th-century limewood carvings in the manner of Grinling Gibbons. Belton houses the Trust’s second largest library (11,000 titles, 5,500 of which were printed before 1801), magnificently rich in many areas, particularly in early continental books, music and pamphlets. In the garden, an early 18th-century carving of Father Time with a cherub as a sundial and the statue walk of 18th-century Italian personifications of Elements are both special features.
