The Holburne Museum in Bath, England is set to open a new £2 million gallery to display a collection of Renaissance treasures.
Launching on 10 September, the Schroder Gallery is named after the Schroder family, who have loaned the pieces to the Holburne.
Designed by Eric Parry Associates with Real Studios, the new gallery is located on the lower ground floor of the museum and is inspired by the great treasury displays of the past.
It houses a one of the finest private collections of silverware in the country, displayed in its entirety in public for the first time, as well as paintings, bronzes, maiolica and gems.
Director of the Holburne, Chris Stephens, said: “I could not be more thrilled or grateful that the Schroder family have chosen the Holburne as the home for their extraordinary collection of Renaissance fine and decorative art.
“This is one of the greatest acts of philanthropy in the Holburne’s history and the addition of so many works of such high quality in a dramatically designed gallery will greatly enhance the Holburne’s offer to its audiences and its standing more widely.”
Building work on the new gallery started last summer and involved transforming the archive and picture stores on the lower ground floor.
Highlights in the gallery include an early 17th-century bronze by Italian sculptor Giambologna depicting the abduction of Hercules’ wife Deianeira.
Renaissance art at the Holburne
The collection also contains masterpieces of 16th-century Italian maiolica, a type of coloured, glazed pottery.
Important paintings from the first half of the 16th century are also on view in the Schroder Gallery, including works by artists such as Lucas Cranach the Elder and Hans Holbein the Elder.
In addition to the Schroder Gallery, the Holburne is opening a new gallery on the first floor to house the Schroder family’s collection of 17th-century paintings.
Images courtesy of the Holburne
