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The Masterpiece Society presents:
Masterpieces from an English Country House: The Fitzwilliam Collection

The Chrysler hosts a family reunion
for four hundred years of exceptional British art
April 30 through August 13, 2006

Anthony Van Dyck (Flemish, 1599-1641) Thomas Wentworth, Later First Earl of Strafford and his Hound, 1632-3 Courtesy of the Trustees of the Rt. Hon. Olive, Countess Fitzwilliam’s Chattels Settlement, by Permission of Lady Juliet Tadgell

To launch the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the English landing at Jamestown, the Chrysler Museum of Art will showcase a remarkable collection chronicling 400 years of art collecting by distinguished English family: Masterpieces from an English Country House: The Fitzwilliam Collection. Originally housed in Wentworth Woodhouse, their country estate in South Yorkshire, the Fitzwilliam family’s collection will be reunited at the Chrysler. Many of the works of art included in the show will be on view for the first time ever on this side of the Atlantic.

The Collection
The Fitzwilliam family collection was begun around 1630 by Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. During the short period of time when he served as chief minister to King Charles I, Strafford commissioned Anthony Van Dyck to execute a series of portraits of him and his family.

When Strafford’s son, William, the Earl, died in 1695 without children, the collection passed to the Rockingham family. The 2nd Marquess of Rockingham served twice as Prime Minister and was famous for his success in breeding race horses. He commissioned works from the artists George Stubbs and Joshua Reynolds.

When the Marquess died without issue, the collection passed to the family of the Earl Fitzwilliam. During the 19th century the 4th Earl was among the original patrons of John James Audubon.

When the 8th Earl Fitzwilliam was killed in a plane crash in 1948 the bulk of the collection passed to his daughter, Lady Juliet Tadgell, who with her husband Dr. Christopher Tadgell, continues to collect today at a very high level. It is through the generosity of Lady Juliet that the collection is being presented at the Chrysler.

The Exhibition
The exhibition will be organized into four sections — one for each century of the family’s collecting. The first section, devoted to the 17th century, will feature great portraits of Thomas Wentworth, Queen Henrietta Maria, and King Charles I by Anthony Van Dyck and Daniel Mytens. The second section will focus on 18th century works by Joshua Reynolds and George Stubbs — including the latter artist’s masterpiece Mares and Foals. The highlight of the 19th century section will be a complete set in five enormous volumes of John James Audubon’s Birds of America. The final section will feature works collected by Lady Juliet Tadgell in more recent times including masterpieces Hans Memling, Jan Van Goyen, Pieter de Hooch, Claude Lorraine, and others. An introductory room will focus on Wentworth Woodhouse, the celebrated English country house built in the mid-18th century by the Marquess of Rockingham to house the collection.

Interpretive materials throughout the exhibition will link the patrons and the works of art to major historical events presenting an illustrated chronicle of British history over the past four centuries as well as a record of evolving aristocratic taste and patronage. The show will be displayed in the Norfolk Southern Large Changing Gallery and will run from April 30 through August 13, 2006. After its run at the Chrysler, Masterpieces from an English Country House will travel to Memphis, Tennessee, where it will be on display at the Memphis Brooks Museum from September 15 through December 3, 2006.

Listen to the podcast for this exhibition -- a tour of the exhibition given by the Museum's director, Bill Hennessey. (Clicking on the icon will launch the file in ITunes. The file will not play on your computer if ITunes is not installed.)

An entire roster of exciting programs and special events are planned during the run of the show, exploring such themes as collecting and patronage, British history and art, and the historical and societal importance of the English country house.

On May 26, the Museum will join forces with the Virginia Symphony to present a free outdoor concert on the banks of the Hague Inlet. The program will include music by Hayden, Holst, and Vaughn Williams, and the evening will conclude with a gala performance of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks complete with a live fireworks display. Please see the calendar for more information.

Masterpieces from an English Country House has been organized by the Chrysler Museum of Art and is sponsored by the Museum’s Masterpiece Society with additional support provided by Norfolk Southern Corporation, Mrs. George M. Kaufman, Oriana and Arnold McKinnon, and the Bunny and Perry Morgan Fund for Special Exhibitions. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal council on the Arts and the Humanities.

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