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 FIRST - Public Art Gallery - Gallery Road, Dulwich, UK
N 51° 26.758 W 000° 05.166
30U E 702481 N 5703448
Dulwich Picture Gallery is located in Dulwich is south London. Opened in 1817, it was constructed to the designs of Sir John Soane and is England's oldest public art gallery. It houses an important collection of European old master paintings.
Waymark Code: WM12ZQW
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/16/2020
Views: 0
A plaque, at the entrance to the Dulwich Picture Gallery tells us:
Dulwich Picture Gallery, England's very first
public art Gallery, was founded in 1811 when
Sir Francis Bourgeois RA bequeathed his
collection of old masters "for the inspection of
the public". Designed by regency architect Sir
John Soane, the exhibition spaces are arranged
as a series of interlinked rooms illuminated
naturally through the skylights, a concept that has
had an enduring influence on art gallery design.
The Gallery is an independent museum and
charitable trust. It houses one of the world's most
important collections of European old master
paintings of the 1600s and 1700s. Famous works
include those by Rembrandt, Gainsborough,
Poussin, Watteau, Canaletto, Rubens, Veronese
and Murillo amongst many others.
The Gallery also hosts a yearly programme of
world class temporary exhibitions.
Wikipedia has an article about Dulwich Picture Gallery that tells us:
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Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, South London, which opened to the public in 1817. It was designed by Regency architect Sir John Soane using an innovative and influential method of illumination. Dulwich is the oldest public art gallery in England and was made an independent charitable trust in 1994. Until this time the gallery was part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift, a charitable foundation established by the actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Edward Alleyn in the early-17th century. The acquisition of artworks by its founders and bequests from its many patrons resulted in Dulwich Picture Gallery housing one of the country's finest collections of Old Masters, especially rich in French, Italian and Spanish Baroque paintings and in British portraits from Tudor times to the 19th century.
The Dulwich Picture Gallery and its mausoleum are listed Grade II* on the National Heritage List for England.
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As mentioned, the building is Grade II* listed with the entry at the Historic England website advising:
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Art gallery and mausoleum. 1811-14, repaired and partly rebuilt after severe World War II damage, reopening in 1953.
MATERIALS: yellow brick with stone dressings; C20 glazed lantern roof.
PLAN: E-plan comprising sequence of galleries with a mausoleum on the central axis, flanked by small almshouses (converted to galleries late C19) between projecting wings all in severe neo-Greek style. Stone base course and stone frieze and flat cornice continuous around entire building.
EXTERIOR: main west front of 2 storeys, 9 main bays. Projecting mausoleum in centre; cruciform plan, 2 stages. Doors in round-arched recesses to each of 3 short arms. Paired, brick angle pilasters support break-front stone entablature, crowned by a stone sarcophagus above each door. 2nd stage a square stone chamber with large leaded windows on all 4 sides. Segmental pediments on square podium above, with urns at corners and urn finial in centre. Interior of mausoleum entrance uses Greek Doric order with shallow dome. Lantern above 'chancel' suppported on arcades. Flanking mausoleum on west front an inner section of 3 round-headed windows in round-arched recesses, with a blank recess at either side and stone cornice over. Windowless 1st-floor well set back, with recessed panels. Projecting 1-bay end sections with segmental-headed blank window on both floors, that on ground floor in segmental-arched recess, between coupled brick angle pilasters. Moulded band at 1st-floor sills. Key pattern to frieze above windows. East front in similar style with entrance hall on axis. Same motifs used with slight variation on east, north and south elevations. Recessed 3-bay sections flanking entrance are copper-roofed. Key pattern to frieze at centre and outer sections. Chimney stacks with Soanean antefixae.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the first public art gallery in England, founded by Sir Francis Bourgeois. Much of collection brought together by art-dealer for King Stanislas of Poland, Noel.
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FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1817
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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