Image Source: National Gallery
In the heart of the sprawling city of London, the National Gallery is a gem amongst the world's most loved and celebrated art institutions. This is why the gallery is special to us, and we are incredibly pleased and excited to be working in collaboration with them to produce a wonderful collection of silk pocket squares. The gallery houses more than 2300 collectible paintings dating from the 13th to the 19th century, an era that has mapped out the glory of Western art through the ages.
The National Gallery Collection
When we initially started working with the National Gallery we were looking for pieces that not only depicted interesting scenes, but also had colours that would produce elegant folds and striking colour combinations. We were also looking for pieces that had interesting back stories or had such intricate detail that each time you looked at the image you found a new feature or detail not seen before.
The Annunciation, With Saint Emidius
Samson And Delilah
Venice: The Basin Of San Marco On Ascension Day
The History Of The Gallery
Founded in 1824, the gallery has grown its collection from the initial 38 paintings it owned when the original gallery was located on Pall Mall. As the collection grew, a new location had to be considered. To compete with its European counterparts, such as the Louvre in Paris and the Uffizi in Florence, the gallery moved to the famed Trafalgar Square location in 1838.
As a ‘national’ gallery the first paintings,along with several privately donated pieces, were bought for £57,000 by the House of Commons from John Julius Angerstein and these now form the foundation of the collections at the modern National Gallery.
Nowadays only the gallery façade looking out over the lions of Trafalgar Square is unchanged from when it was first designed. As the gallery drew in more and more visitors, additional sections were added onto the gallery so that it’s growing collection could be viewed by all who wished to see it. The gallery now welcomes more than 6 million visitors each year, second to the British Museum in the United Kingdom and only 3 million less than the Louvre, which is the world most visited museum. From Renaissance classics by van Eyck to works by the world's most renowned impressionist painters such as Monet and Renoir, this is a truly exceptional collection and some of these masters can now be carried with you in your suit pocket. As noted by Judith Mather, Buying and Merchandise Director, the National Gallery Company, “We are delighted to be working with Rampley & Co; their innovation and creativity in their field is remarkable. We are looking forward to having these unique items as part of our licence range here at the National Gallery”.
Image Source: National Gallery
