In 1779 the family of Sir Robert Walpole, Britain's first prime minister, sold his remarkable art collection to Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. More than two centuries later, these masterpieces, rarely seen outside Russia since that time, are returning to Houghton Hall, the great house built by Walpole. This handsome book illustrates these superlative works hanging once again in William Kent's magnificent interiors. Thierry Morel uncovers the wonders of Walpole's collection, which includes paintings by Van Dyck, Poussin, Rubens and Rembrandt, and traces its journey to the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, to which most of the works now belong. Other essays explore Walpole's artistic tastes and collecting habits, and his beautiful house, one of the finest Palladian buildings in England.

Larissa Dukelskaya is curator of English Prints at the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. John Harris is a curator, historian of architecture, gardens and architectural drawings, and the author of more than 25 books. Andrew Moore is keeper of art at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Norwich, England. Thierry Morel is former director of the Hermitage Foundation UK and a member of the Advisory Board of the Hermitage Foundation USA.