Description:Aside from his political life and his responsibilities as an estate owner, George Granville was a devoted art collector. Catalogues and inventories in the Sutherland Papers tell us that the first Duke owned paintings by Italian and Dutch masters and also a range of works by contemporary British artists.
The catalogue of the paintings collected by George Granville Leveson-Gower at Cleveland House reflects his involvement in the purchase of the prestigious Orleans Collection. In 1798 George Granville, his uncle Francis Egerton, the third Duke of Bridgewater and Frederick Howard, the fifth Earl of Carlisle purchased Italian and French paintings from the famous Orleans Collection which had belonged to Phillippe II Duc d’Orleans when he was Regent of France. The Sutherland Papers include documents concerning the financial details of the Orleans sale, and a Catalogue of paintings at Cleveland House which reveals that he owned numerous Italian paintings from the collection.
George Granville was a committed patron of contemporary art, a passion reflected in the works which he collected by artists such as Martin Archer Shee and William Beechey. The first Duke was instrumental in the development of a national art museum. In 1806 he opened his picture gallery at Cleveland House to the public and was amongst the founding members of the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom. George Granville was appointed Vice President of this institution in 1810 and served as President from 1820-1825.
Click on the images on the left to learn more.
Contextual Information from: Philip Ward-Jackson "Leveson-Gower, George Granville, 2nd Marquess of Stafford & 1st Duke of Sutherland" Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press, http://www.groveart.com