She was known to be very proud of the rare silver in her collection, which included English silver objects chased (decorated with linear patterns made with a punch and hammer) in an imitation Asian style. Many such objects have since proved to be fakes but Mrs Greville’s chinoiserie footed salver is a rare and important exception. New research has enabled the Trust to attribute makers to most of the silver pieces for the first time.
Picture collection
The breadth of her picture collection, assembled with advice from Tancred Borenius, appointed the first professor of art history at University College London in 1922, will also be revealed. She collected superb French and Italian paintings, rare medieval works, the finest miniatures, and masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age including a self-portrait by Frans van Mieris.
Other portraits include a striking Johann Zoffany portrait of the Viennese dancer Eva Maria Veigel (Mrs David Garrick) in a masquerade costume of shimmering silk, a beautiful portrayal by Henry Bone of the young Mary Queen of Scots – on display for the first time – and The Masters Pattisson by Sir Thomas Lawrence. In the Dining Room, artist Alastair Morrison, whose great-great-grandfather is depicted in The Masters Pattisson, has created a contemporary photograph in response to the painting, exploring the themes of brotherly love and loss.
As part of the exhibition, other treasures of Mrs Greville’s will be highlighted in the lavishly furnished principal rooms, including a magnificent painting by Melchior de Hondecoeter, showing peacocks and other birds in a landscape. This recently returned to the house after an absence of over 50 years to serve once again as the central feature in the richest of all the interiors, the Saloon.
Exhibition curator, Alice Strickland, added: “In assembling her superb collections, Mrs Greville was following the transatlantic fashion of the super-rich, but she was also creating an intimate and inviting atmosphere for her many guests."