Wellington’s Dutch Masterpieces

Jan Steen, The egg dance: Peasants merry-making in an inn , 1670s, Apsley House, London.

Featuring works by Nicolaes Maes (1634–1693), Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684) and Jan Steen (1626-1679), the exhibition will reveal an often-overlooked aspect of the Duke’s character and personality; that not only was he a brilliant military man, but also a discerning collector of fine art.

Shortly after his famous victory at the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington bought 21 Dutch paintings from sales in Paris with the intention of growing his collection of Old Masters. Using his agent Chevalier Féréol de Bonnemaison (1766-1827), a noted portrait painter, dealer and picture restorer, Wellington bought nine pictures at the April 1817 La Peyrière sale. In April 1818, Bonnemaison represented him at the Le Rouge sale, where he acquired twelve.

Although he employed an agent, Wellington selected what he liked at these sales. The paintings he acquired are all pre-eminent and reveal that he had an excellent eye. They were principally genre scenes – depictions of ordinary people doing everyday things – including masterpieces such as Nicholas Maes, The Eavesdropper (1650s), Peter de Hooch’s The Musical Party (c.1675) and Jan Steen’s The Egg Dance (1674) and The Wedding Party (1667). He also purchased landscapes and townscapes such as Van der Hayden’s Architectural Fantasy (1660s) and Ludolf Bakhuizen’s Soldiers of the Dutch East India Company embarking at the Montelbaans Tower, Amsterdam (1685).

The egg dance: Peasants merry-making in an inn by Jan Steen, 1670s.

For centuries, Dutch pictures had been popular collectors’ items in England, but they became especially desirable in the early 19th century, mirroring the growth of the national school of narrative artworks at the time. The faithful realism of Dutch paintings and the artists exceptional ability to render textures, light, and detail was celebrated as a pinnacle of artistic achievement. Wellington’s pictures were some of the most masterful Dutch paintings to be seen in London during his lifetime. Their popularity was such that they were regularly requested for the British Institution’s annual exhibitions.

Today, these paintings are appreciated not only for their technical mastery but also for their layered meanings and the subtly incorporated moral or social commentaries on themes like love, temperance, and domestic virtue. Objects placed within the scenes often had symbolic significance, providing viewers with an ethical or reflective lens. For instance, oysters or wine glasses might allude to sensual indulgence, while musical instruments often suggested harmony or romantic desire.