Paintings
At Alnwick, an outstanding collection of paintings includes 16th century Old Masters of the Venetian School – works by Titian, Palma il Vecchio, Sebastiano del Piombo, Bernardino Licinio – and of the Roman School, with works by Andrea del Sarto, Guido Reni and Sisto Badalocchio; eight paintings by the 18th century master of detailed landscape views, Canaletto and exceptional portraits by Sir Anthony Van Dyck and William Dobson.
A number of the paintings form part of the ‘Camuccini Collection’, a gallery of 74 paintings acquired by Algernon, 4th Duke, from Rome in 1856, specifically to adorn the walls of the newly restored Italianate interiors at Alnwick.
Furniture
Furniture by important 17th, 18th century and 19th century cabinetmakers is distributed throughout the State Rooms. Highlights include two Baroque cabinets made by Domenico Cucci for King Louis XIV’s palace of Versailles in 1683; 18th century chairs and tables by John Linnell ; a suite of Regency furniture by Nicholas Morel and Robert Hughes and a marquetry table by Blakes of London supplied in 1865.
Ceramics
The collection comprises porcelain, principally of European manufacture such as Meissen, Sèvres, Paris, Chelsea and Minton, which can be seen throughout the State Rooms.
A Meissen dinner service decorated with fantastic animals, foliage and insects dating from circa 1745, is some of the earliest hard paste porcelain in Europe, and was possibly acquired by the 1st Duke of Northumberland as a raffle prize!