Curator Ashley Gallant with a portrait of the 2nd Duke. Picture: Scott MerryleesCurator Ashley Gallant with a portrait of the 2nd Duke. Picture: Scott Merrylees
Curator Ashley Gallant with a portrait of the 2nd Duke. Picture: Scott Merrylees

First look at amazing Chatsworth drawings not seen in Sheffield since 1966

A major new exhibition is about to open featuring more than 50 Old Master drawings from Chatsworth – the first time the works have been seen in Sheffield since 1966.

Amassed by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Dukes of Devonshire, the stately home’s full collection comprises around 1,800 works by some of the most important artists of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

At the Millennium Gallery, visitors will be able to see a selection of pieces by Carpaccio, Poussin, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck and more.

When the collection was originally established over 300 years ago, only the social elites of the time would have been able to see such pictures.

Today, a small selection of drawings are displayed on rotation in the purpose-built Old Master Drawings Cabinet created in 2012 at Chatsworth. Opportunities to see them en masse remain limited due to the need to safeguard the delicate works on paper from light damage.

Special interactive consoles have been installed at the Millennium Gallery that will allow viewers to get up close with the exhibits and learn more about them. The exhibition will also encourage people to draw, and special events will take place alongside the display.

Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth runs from February 14 to May 25. Admission is free. See www.museums-sheffield.org.uk for further details.

Related topics: