Earlier British Paintings in the Walker Art Gallery and Sudley House

Featuring more than three hundred paintings, this catalogue raisonné spotlights work by British artists born before 1770. The Walker Art Gallery and Sudley House are home to some of the most respected publicly owned art in the UK, and the works featured in this catalog come from one of the most significant parts of these renowned collections. This is the first time that they have been addressed as a full group by period, and their strengths—and weaknesses— are carefully examined.

The featured artists include Henry Fuseli, Thomas Gainsborough, Nicholas Hilliard, William Hogarth, John Hoppner, Godfrey Kneller, Henry Raeburn, Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, George Stubbs, and Joseph Wright. Together they offer a fascinating glimpse into the life, styles, and concerns of Britain during this period. A longtime curator of British art, Alex Kidson provides intimate knowledge of these paintings—in eloquent prose— to give an in-depth and comprehensive overview of these artists and this important collection. In doing so, he weaves a path through the history of English collecting and taste.