Masterful fine art for gentry draws in 75,000 over a year
A COLLECTION of fine and decorative art amassed by the Dukes of Portland and their families over 400 years has been seen by 75,000 people since going on show a year ago.
The Portland Collection, which opened on March 20, 2016, at The Harley Gallery, near Worksop in Nottinghamshire, has been described as “one of the finest aristocratic collections in England”.
Masterpieces include Michelangelo’s Madonna del Silenzio, a rarely seen Van Dyck painting of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, and the pearl earring worn by Charles I at his execution in 1649.
Gallery Director Lisa Gee said: “It has been wonderful to see visitors from across the country enjoying the displays in The Portland Collection. Visitors have been so complimentary about the quality of the displays and it’s been an absolute privilege to be part of the project.
“Of course it helps when you have artists the quality of Michelangelo and Van Dyck to offer, but the last year has shown us that there is a real appetite for enjoying exceptional works of art and the Harley Foundation look forward to welcoming new and returning visitors in the coming months.”