Horace Walpole treasures from Strawberry Hill to form new exhibition at Victoria and Albert Museum (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Horace Walpole treasures from Strawberry Hill to form new exhibition at Victoria and Albert Museum

3:00pm Tuesday 5th January 2010

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The extensive collection of Strawberry Hill house’s former resident Horace Walpole is to go on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Entitled Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill, the exhibition will bring together more than 250 works owned by the 18th century MP, historian and writer, and not seen together since 1842.

Items include a range of paintings by Van Dyck, a pair of gloves believed to have belong to King James I and an Aztec mirror used by the magician and astrologer Dr Dee.

A lock of hair Walpole believed to belong to Mary Tudor and a hat he thought was owned by Cardinal Wolsey will also be on display.

But a global hunt for thousands more lost treasures from Walpole’s collection has been launched by the Strawberry Hill Trust to return them to the house in time for the exhibition.

Sought-after treasures include an ornate jewelled dagger believed to have belonged to Henry VIII and an ancient Roman sculpture of the Emperor Vespassian, once displayed in 10 Downing Street, the former home of his father, Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first prime minister.

Chairman of the trust and exhibition curator, Michael Snodin, said: “There are some very famous bits of furniture we’re hoping to get. The dagger is very glamorous.

“We’re hoping people who have Walpole’s things will know. There are often stories attached to things.”

Walpole was one the most important English collectors of the 18th century and one of the best known commentators on social, political and cultural life of his time.

Strawberry Hill was built as a summer villa between 1747 and 1790 for Walpole and is regarded as Britain’s finest example of Georgian gothic revival architecture.

The house provided the setting for his unique collection, which included ceramics, Elizabethan glass, silverware, armour, historical relics, rare books and pieces by Wedgwood.

Much of the collection remained in the house near the River Thames following Walpole’s death in 1797, only to be sold by his heirs in 1842 in a 24-day auction.

Thanks to Walpole’s thorough cataloging system, which saw him either commission drawings of items or label the goods, the trust has identified about 5,000 items of unknown whereabouts.

Mr Snodin remains hopeful some major pieces of furniture and pictures will be returned or lent to the house which us currently undergoing a multi-million pound renovation.

A new film on the project, commissioned by the trust, will be shown as part of the exhibition.

Mr Snodin added: “It will be an incredible exhibition, bringing together pieces that were together in Walpole’s time.

”The quality of the items is amazing.”

The exhibition will run from March 6 until July 4. For more information visit vam.ac.uk.

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