Porcelain & Power: Royal Sèvres and French Elegance in the Wallace Collection
Fri, Apr 17
|The Wallace Collection
This private one-hour tour will highlight the museum’s exquisite ceramics, with particular attention to its world-class Sèvres porcelain and pieces with French royal provenance.
Time & Location
Apr 17, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN, UK
About the Event
Although we have visited this museum many times before because of its exceptional painting collection; this special one-hour tour will focus on the museum’s beautiful ceramics, with particular emphasis on its world-renowned Sèvres porcelain—celebrated for its technical brilliance, vibrant colours, and close associations with the French royal court.
As we move through the beautifully preserved galleries, we will explore how these refined objects were collected by the Marquesses of Hertford and later Sir Richard Wallace, whose passion for 18th-century French art shaped much of what we see today. Many of the pieces on display boast royal provenance, offering fascinating insights into aristocratic taste, luxury, and the culture of display in pre-revolutionary France. Alongside the porcelain, we will also consider select examples of French furniture, placing the ceramics in their original decorative context and evoking the atmosphere of a grand private residence.
This intimate visit offers a unique opportunity to look…