The Gallery is the largest room in the House and was originally used for hosting grand banquets and balls.

The room’s magnificent ceiling is today considered one of Robert Adam’s masterpieces, and is decorated with 16 paintings by the Italian interior painter Biagio Rebecca. They depict a pantheon of Roman gods and the four seasons.  

The Gallery was the last room in the House to be furnished and was completed by Chippendale’s son, Thomas Chippendale Junior, in the late 1790s. He supplied the room’s unique pelmets, which are carved out of wood to look like fabric, as well as the enormous gilded mirrors and pier glasses lining the west wall. He also supplied 6 torchères (lamp stands) which remain in situ, later adapted to electricity. With their mirrored and gilt surfaces, Chippendale’s furnishings were designed to look particularly spectacular at night when lit by hundreds of flickering candles. 

Today, the Gallery is home to several collections, brought together by different members of the Lascelles family.

Italian Old Masters

The Gallery is today home to the 6th Earl’s collection of Italian Old Master pictures. It was brought together in the early 20th century, following an unexpected inheritance of around £2.5 million from the 6th Earl’s great uncle, the 2nd Marquis of Clanricarde, in 1916. The 6th Earl did much of his collecting via agents whilst fighting in the trenches during the First World War. His portrait can be seen above the fireplace. 

The 6th Earl’s collection is considered to be one of the greatest 20th century collections of Old Master paintings in Britain, put together during a time when many pictures of this type were being sold to American collectors.

Chinese Porcelain

Harewood’s collection of Chinese porcelain, made in the 17th and 18th centuries. Many of the pieces on display can be described as ‘celadon ware’ due to their grey-green glaze. Many of these vases were exported from China to France and England, and used as a base upon which to add richly decorated rims, pedestals and handles in gilded bronze. The collection was brought together by Edward ‘Beau’ Lascelles in the late 18th and early 19th century, who was a passionate collector of porcelain, second only to the Prince of Wales (later George IV).