The Picture Gallery, Stafford House [now Lancaster House]

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  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Government Hospitality, Lancaster House

    James Digman Wingfield’s painting shows the Picture Gallery of Stafford House as a domestic setting for the family of George Granville Leveson-Gower, second Marquis of Stafford (1758-1833). The Louis XV style decoration provided a sumptuous environment in which to display the important art collection amassed by several generations of the family. In 1912, the fourth Duke of Sutherland sold the property to soap manufacturer Sir William Lever (1851-1925; later Lord Leverhulme). Lever presented the building to the Government the following year, requesting it was renamed Lancaster House. It is now a venue for international summit meetings.

  • About the artist
    James Digman Wingfield painted landscapes, genre and historical subjects, as well as interiors and park scenes. He exhibited his work at the Royal Academy, the British Institution and the Society of British Artists for over 30 years. Wingfield lived in the Bloomsbury area of London for much of his life, but later moved to Chelsea. His studio sale was arranged through Christie, Manson & Wood (now known as Christie's) in July 1872 and held a few months after his death. The sale contained numerous copies of works of Old Masters by the artist - a field in which he evidently excelled.
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  • Details
    Title
    The Picture Gallery, Stafford House [now Lancaster House]
    Date
    1848
    Medium
    Oil on canvas
    Dimensions
    height: 115.20 cm, width: 131.40 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Christie's, 24 May 2002
    Inscription
    bl: J. D. Wingfield. 1848.
    Provenance
    Sold through Christie's, London, 'Victorian Pictures and Sculpture' sale, on 2 July 1971 (Lot 113); sold through Christie's, London, 'The London Sale', on 24 May 2002 (Lot 80); from which sale purchased by the Government Art Collection
    GAC number
    17693