Collecting and displaying art: Longford Castle and the National Gallery

Sir Jacob's first significant art acquisition took place in April 1737. He bought two landscapes by Gaspar Dughet, pupil to the eminent French painter, Nicolas Poussin. These were purchased at Haye's Sale, one of the many London art auctions from which the family bought works of art over the years. He also acquired items through picture dealers, such as Arthur Pond. During the 18th century, contemporary artists also received commissions from the family, including the sculptor Henry Cheere who created chimneypieces for Longford.

The fine art acquired during the 18th century was housed in Longford Castle, then essentially an Elizabethan structure. However, some refurbishment was undertaken to ensure the interiors matched the standards of the artworks on display. In 1740, almost £170 was spent on green damask to provide a suitable backdrop to the paintings in the Picture Gallery.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, further architectural changes were planned for the castle. While not all of them were carried out, they indicate that the family was thinking carefully about how best to display their art collection. For example, unexecuted plans for top-lighting in the Picture Gallery were considered. Top-lit galleries, where natural light enters from the ceiling, were later developed by public art museums in the early 19th century, so the discussion of their use in a private home at this time was pioneering. They can still be seen at the National Gallery today, as can some of the artworks from the Longford collection that have been sold or loaned to the Gallery over the years. Three paintings were sold in 1890; a further painting was sold in 1945.

The artist Hans Holbein the Younger was a famous portraitist in the Tudor court. Several paintings from this era were purchased during the 18th century to hang at Longford, and may have been considered suitable for displaying in the Elizabethan building. Holbein was a painter whose work was admired by the family, with the 1st Viscount Folkestone purchasing a portrait by the artist of the humanist scholar Erasmus in 1754. This had previously been in the collection of Dr Mead, an eminent art collector, making it a particularly desirable object.

In 1808, the 2nd Earl of Radnor employed the services of the picture dealer William Buchanan. It appears that Buchanan acquired Holbein's 'The Ambassadors' on his behalf. The painting was then hung in the Picture Gallery at Longford. The green damask wall hangings in the room must have perfectly complemented the background of this masterpiece.

In 1890, the family sold 'The Ambassadors' to the National Gallery. It was purchased along with two others from the Longford collection - 'Portrait of a Gentleman' by Giovanni Battista Moroni, and the portrait of 'Don Adrián Pulido Pareja' – originally attributed to Spanish master Diego Velázquez, but now considered to be possibly the work of Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo.

The sale was perhaps made to raise funds for recent building renovations that had taken place at the castle, and to pay new 'death duties'. One of the stipulations for the sale was that the three paintings could only be bought together in one lot. Generous financial contributions from Lord Rothschild, Sir Edward Guinness, and Charles Cotes helped raise the sum required to secure the paintings for the nation. Upon entering the Gallery, the painting underwent some restoration work.

'The Ambassadors' is now one of the most famous paintings in the National Gallery collection. It has long intrigued viewers with its rich symbolism and unusual, distorted representation of a skull. The portrait of 'Erasmus' purchased by Lord Folkestone also now hangs in the National Gallery, on long-term loan from Longford Castle.

This portrait of 'Don Adrián Pulido Pareja' was probably purchased by the 2nd Earl of Radnor in 1811 and appears in catalogues of the Longford art collection from 1814 and 1829. Both catalogues list the painting amongst works hung in the Picture Gallery – its prominent position suggests the work was considered to be one of the best in the collection. The picture dealer John Smith described the painting as 'a magnificent Portrait'.

There are fewer paintings by Spanish Old Masters in the Longford collection in comparison to other schools, such as works by Dutch and Flemish artists. However, the portrait of 'Don Adrián Pulido Pareja' may have visually complemented portraits by the Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck. Both Van Dyck and Velázquez were famous court artists of the 17th century. Therefore, when this painting was believed to be by Velázquez, these paintings could have been considered equals.

Then and now

When the portrait was acquired by the National Gallery in 1890 (still assumed to be a Velázquez), the Gallery's Director at the time, Sir Frederic Burton, wrote of the three Longford paintings: 'each of these works must be counted amongst the prime achievement of the master who produced it.' Unfortunately, in this case, the painting turned out not to have been by the master at all!

The painting now hangs in Room 30 of the National Gallery, alongside other works of the Spanish school such as paintings by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Francisco de Zurbarán.

No explicit records exist in the Longford accounts (now housed at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre) of the purchase of Poussin's painting, 'The Adoration of the Golden Calf'. However, it is likely that it was bought in November 1741 when a payment of £481 and 5 shillings was listed for ''2 Pictures of Nicolas Poussin''. The second painting may have been its companion piece, 'The Crossing of the Red Sea', which is now in Melbourne, Australia. Works by the 17th-century painter Poussin were highly regarded by collectors and connoisseurs during the 18th century, and Lord Folkestone must have felt pride in owning these works. In 1749, he paid for a print to be made of 'The Crossing of the Red Sea', perhaps for his own interest, or for the purpose of disseminating and promoting his collection more widely.