Lecture in the Library: Lord Fitzwilliam and his bequest to Cambridge

Lecture in the Library: Lord Fitzwilliam and his bequest to Cambridge

Friday 1st September, 10am. £15 per ticket, led by art historian Sarah Burles.

Join us in our Library for an exclusive lecture with art historian Sarah Burles on the Fitzwilliam Museum followed by a guided tour at the museum.

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge was founded on the death of Richard, 7th Viscount Fitzwilliam in 1816, five years after the Dulwich Picture Gallery and eight years before the National Gallery in London. His bequest included paintings, drawings, prints, medieval manuscripts and books and, in addition, a sum of money to build “a good substantial museum repository for the increase of learning”. Who was Lord Fitzwilliam? How did he acquire his extensive collection? What prompted him to leave it to the University of Cambridge and why was Napoleon partly responsible for the founding of one of the great regional museums? These, and many other questions, will be answered in a lecture that will also discuss some of the key works in Lord Fitzwilliam’s bequest.

Sarah Burles studied History of Art at Cambridge University before doing a masters at University College London. She went on to have a career in museum and gallery education, establishing new services in three different museums before working at the Fitzwilliam Museum for many years.

Sarah is the founder of Cambridge Art Tours, which runs tours and courses in and around East Anglia, as well as online. She is an accredited Arts Society Lecturer and a Tour Director for ACE Cultural Tours for whom she leads tours to Italy, France, Belgium and America.

• 10am: Lecture in the Library at the University Arms hotel.
• 11am: Depart for the Fitzwilliam Museum.
• 11:30am: Guided tour of the Fitzwilliam Museum.
• 12:30pm: End and return to the hotel.

Exclusive to hotel guests only. Please contact our reservations team to book your ticket at reservations@universityarms.com or 01223 606066.