Your journey begins at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London's Victorian center of arts and crafts dedicated to the royal couple. Today it is a museum of arts from all countries, styles and eras. Besides the main collection of oil paintings and watercolors (with emphasis on the British and a collection of oil sketches by Constable), sculpture and examples of architecture, the museum contains the finest collection to the world of applied arts such as arms and armour, bronzes and carpets etc. Visit the famous Cartoons for Tapestries that Raphael created for Pope Leo X and the Sculpture Museum collection where some of Donatello's best examples are found.
Highlights
- Performed in French, English
- All entrance fees included
- Guided tour by an art historian
Take a walk along Knightsbridge, the shopping center of London where the famous Harrods is located. You will arrive at No.1 London, the name given to Apsley's house. Created by Adams in 1775 for Baron Apsley and acquired by the Duke of Wellington in 1817, he extended the house with the help of architect Wyatt who gave him the Corinthian Temple. It became the grand mansion of the Duke of Wellington, Napoleon's conqueror. You will find the treasures regaled to the Duke by European monarchs returned to their thrones, after the defeat of Napoleon. When you enter the house in the inner room, you discover the nude Canova marble statue of Napoleon in the guise of Apollo. You will find silver ornaments and porcelain sets, jewelry and snuffboxes surrounded by the duke's furniture. Upstairs are the paintings he collected and superb Old Masters from the Spanish Royal Collection in Coach Giuseppe Bonaparte, as he was abandoned in Madrid and given to Wellington by the King of Spain. Among them are paintings by Velazquez, Rubens, Murillo, Ribera and Goya.
This private tour is provided by a professional guide specializing in art history. Please list any special interests you have at the time of booking (art, architecture, history), so that we can alert our guide so that he or she can prepare for your private tour.
Detailed schedule
Starting point :
Departure from the Victoria and Albert Museum
Return details:
Ends at the Victoria and Albert Museum
