In Trust for the Nation

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The National Trust looks after some of the finest collections of paintings in Britain, but because they are in houses all over the country, few appreciate their extraordinary wealth and variety. In Trust for the Nation brings together a fascinating selection of these treasures: grand full-length portraits by Van Dyck, Reynolds, Gainsborough and Romney; domestic images, such as Mrs Garnett, the Kedleston housekeeper, and Thomas Rogers, the Erddig carpenter; outstanding Old Masters by Titian, Velazquez and Rembrandt; jewel-like cabinet pictures by 17th-century Dutch and Flemish artists such as Steen, Metsu, Ter Borch, Breughel and Teniers; intimate narrative pictures and conversation-pieces by Hogarth, Mercier, Zoffany and Devis; ideal landscapes by Claude and Hobbema, cityscapes by Cuyp and Bellotto, and English views by Turner and Benjamin Williams Leader; and rarities like Wyck's amusing A Dutch Mastiff with Dunham Massey in the Background, which reflects the British love of animals and country house views. This book also serves as a permanent record of the exhibition held at the National Gallery in London to celebrate the National Trust's Centenary in 1995. All the exhibits are analysed in detail and reproduced in colour. They are grouped in thematic chapters that reflect the way the British have collected and displayed pictures since the 17th century. The catalogue entries are followed by a gazetteer of the picture collections from which they have been drawn. Together they make an important contribution to our understanding of British art patronage and collecting.