Burghley Treasures Back on a Grand Tour
Burghley is lending a number of its most treasured works of art to the Mauritshuis Museum, The Hague, for their major exhibition celebrating The Grand Tour – Destination Italy.
The Grand Tour was the essential cultural journey of the 17th and 18th centuries, when young British aristocrats set out on extended travels across Europe upon completing their studies. Italy, with its ancient ruins, Renaissance art, and vibrant culture, was the ultimate destination. Travellers returned not with postcards, but with portraits, sculptures, and objects of art to enrich their great houses and collections.
Burghley’s own history is deeply entwined with The Grand Tour. Two of the most notable Cecils, known as the “Travelling Earls”, epitomised this age of travel and cultural discovery.
John, 5th Earl of Exeter
John, 5th Earl of Exeter, undertook his first tour in 1679, making several extended journeys to Italy with his wife, Anne. They purchased paintings, works of art, and textiles in astonishing quantities, many of which still adorn Burghley today.
Brownlow, 9th Earl of Exeter
A century later, John's great-grandson Brownlow, 9th Earl of Exeter, followed in his ancestor’s footsteps. With an equally avid taste for fine art, he commissioned and collected works from some of the finest artists of his age, including one of Europe’s most sought-after female artists, Angelica Kauffman, further shaping Burghley’s remarkable collections.
For those wishing to delve further into Burghley’s own Grand Tour story, our 2018 exhibition The Travelling Earls and the Grand Tour explores how these journeys shaped the House and its collections. You can revisit it online here: Travelling Earls and the Grand Tour.
Many of these objects remain in the State Rooms at Burghley, but this autumn a selection will travel abroad once more. Burghley’s loan contribution to the Mauritshuis exhibition includes:
- Angelica Kauffman, Portrait of Brownlow Cecil, 9th Earl of Exeter
- Joseph Nollekens, A White Marble Head of Medusa
- Cesare Aguatti, Miniature Mosaic of the Temple of Vesta
- Nathaniel Dance, Portrait of Angelica Kauffman
- Pietro Fabris, Eruption of Vesuvius
- An Italian gold-mounted hardstone snuff box with lava stones
- Denys Calvaert, Annunciation
- Carlo Dolci, Nativity of Christ
- Paolo Veronese, Saint Paul
- Paolo Veronese, Saint Peter
- Pink marble figure of a crouching lion
- Parcel-gilt figure, probably of Charles II of Spain
- Indo-Portuguese scent bottle
- Boxwood figure of Cleopatra or Lucretia
- Castelli trembleuse, Oceanus and a Sea Monster
Find out more
The Grand Tour – Destination Italy runs from 18 September 2025 to 4 January 2026 at the Mauritshuis.
About The Mauritshuis
The Mauritshuis, in the heart of The Hague (The Netherlands), is a world-renowned museum housing Dutch Golden Age masterpieces. Among its highlights is Vermeer’s iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring.
