Apsley House

Apsley House is a representative town house in London, which served the Duke of Wellington, who won at Waterloo over Napoleon as a residence. It is now a museum and houses an important art collection. Located at Hyde Park Corner house was built by the architect Robert Adam in the years 1771-1778. It was the first imposing residence after passing the customs Gates of Night Bridge, giving him the popular address "no. 1 London " earned.

In 1817 the building of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and has since acquired the London city residence of the family. The new owner had to make substantial changes to the exterior of the architect Benjamin Dean Wyatt. In the course of this work the building its classical portico and honey-colored limestone brickwork be received. Inside was the Waterloo Gallery added for the paintings of the Duke.

1947 bequeathed Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington ( 1885-1972 ) Apsley House to the state, and since 1952 it is accessible as a museum in Wellington. Among the most valuable exhibits include the many gifts that have been the 1st Duke of Wellington made ​​in the course of his life. In the Waterloo Gallery also a large number of valuable paintings are like the early Velazquez issued The water seller of Sevilla. 83 of the 200 paintings fell to the British in 1813 after winning against Joseph Bonaparte Battle of Vitoria in her hands. They were actually Spanish Royal Collection, but afterwards gave the Spanish King Ferdinand VII the artworks officially the Wellington family.

The paintings collection includes works by:

• America: John Singleton Copley
• Great Britain: Sir William Beechey, John Burnet, George Dawe, John Hoppner, Edwin Landseer, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Sir David Wilkie
• Holland: Pieter de Hooch, Jan van Huysum, Nicolaes Maes, Willem van Mieris, Antonis Mor, Aert van der Neer, Adriaen van Ostade, Cornelis van Poelenburgh, Jan Steen, Willem van de Velde the Younger, Jan Victors
• Flanders: Paul Bril, Adriaen Brouwer, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Anthony van Dyck, Adam Frans van der Meulen, Rubens, David Teniers the Younger
• France: Claude Lorrain Claude- Joseph Vernet
• Germany: Hans von Aachen, Adam Elsheimer, Anton Raphael Mengs
• Italy: Leandro Bassano, Giuseppe Cesari, Carlo Cignani, Antonio da Correggio, Luca Giordano, Antiveduto Grammatica, Guercino, Giovanni Paolo Pannini, Guido Reni, Giulio Romano, Salvator Rosa, Francesco Trevisani, Marcello Venusti
• Spain: Diego Velázquez (4) Francisco Goya ( 1), Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ( 3), Jusepe de Ribera ( 3)