The Arts Society Taunton Evening present...
Lord Fitzwilliam and The Fitzwilliam Museum by Sarah Burles
The Fitzwilliam museum in Cambridge was founded on the death of Richard Fitzwilliam, 7th Viscount Fitzwilliam, in 1816, five years after the Dulwich Picture Gallery and eight years before the National Gallery in London.
His bequest included paintings, drawings, prints, medieval manuscripts and books, in addition, a sum of money to build "a good, substantial museum repository for the increase of learning".
Who was Lord Fitzwilliam? How did he acquire his extensive collection? What prompted him to leave it to the University of Cambridge? and, why was Napoleon partly responsible for the founding of one of the great regional Museums? These, and many other questions, will be answered in a lecture that will also discuss some of the key works in Lord Fitzwilliam's bequest.