Commanding Splendour considers objects created to commemorate The Duke of Wellington, and explores the theme of Empire Style as it emerged in England in the early 19th century.

As a result of his outstanding military career, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769 – 1852), was recorded in countless paintings, prints, publications and objects which reinforced, honoured, and sometimes satirized his status as a national hero. In his London residence, Apsley House, the Duke assembled a significant collection of paintings and decorative arts. These souvenirs and trophies, accumulated in the aftermath of conflict, include numerous examples of the Empire Style.

image: plaque manufacturer: unknown circa 1852