Masterpieces of European Arms and Armour in the Wallace Collection
The collection of arms and armour at the Wallace Collection (a national museum in an historic London townhouse) is widely recognised as being one of the largest and most important in the United Kingdom. Consisting of around 2500 objects, it represents both European and Oriental arms and armour. The European part of the collection was acquired primarily by Sir Richard Wallace, mainly in 1871, from the collections of Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick (founding father of the serious study of arms and armour in Britain) and that of the comte de Nieuwerkerke (director of the Louvre under the Emperor Napoleon III). It is thereby an important surviving example of the 19th-century passion for collecting arms and armour, whose rarity, beauty of design, superlative craftsmanship and richness of decoration were the guiding principles behind its formation. The collection is wide-ranging, with the earliest pieces of armour dating from the 14th century, the earliest sword from the 10th century, while the very fine historic firearms collection spans the 16th to the 19th centuries.
In the book Masterpieces of European Arms and Armour in the Wallace Collection, curator of Arms and Armour Tobias Capwell along with head of conservation David Edge introduce this significant collection in an historical context, highlighting 70 of the collection’s most interesting objects spanning from before 1400 to after 1800. Among these are the earliest piece in the collection, a Scandinavian sword dating from the early medieval ‘Viking age’; a golden tournament helmet of Emperor Ferdinand I from 1555; a dagger from c.1600 belonging to French King Henri IV; and a flintlock pistol dating from c.1740 of Prince Louis, Dauphin of France, the eldest son of King Louis XV.
Also available is The Wallace Collection: Complete Digital Catalogue of European Arms and Armour. Published on a USB drive, the Complete Digital Catalogue presents all the arms and armour held by the Wallace Collection in more than 7000 new photographs, ranging from whole pieces to close details and presenting them from many angles. This magnificent and visually stunning resource is both rapidly searchable and is fully comprehensive, containing also the texts of Sir James Mann’s 1962 catalogue of the European arms and armour (which remains a fundamental reference work for the collection and for arms and armour studies in general), AVB Norman’s 1986 Supplement and every catalogue going back to 1900.
For more information about The Wallace Collection book and USB drive collection, including prices, please visit the publisher’s website at www.paul-holberton.net
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