Pre-Raphaelites and other important works from the collections of Cecil French and Scott Thomas Buckle at Leighton House
Run don’t walk
As you may have gathered by now, I have a keen interest in art by the Pre-Raphaelites and those working during that time or near their circle.
Last week I posted about a visit to Leighton House in Holland Park and now it just got even more exciting with Victorian Treasures, a dual exhibition featuring works from two private collectors separated by 70 years—Cecil French and Scott Thomas Buckle. Both collected Victorian art at a time when its popularity had waned, and seeing their personal selections in the beautiful setting of Leighton’s home feels like eavesdropping on a creative conversation across time.
The Cecil French Collection
French (1879–1953) was a trained artist who became a passionate collector, assembling 153 paintings and drawings dedicated to the Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic movements. Upon his death, he bequeathed 52 of those to Hammersmith & Fulham — many of which are now on public display. Highlights include:
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Edward Burne-Jones’s The Wheel of Fortune (c. 1875), one of his most iconic compositions.
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John William Waterhouse’s Study for The Head of Lamia — a delicate and intimate work showing the artist’s fascination with mythological subjects.
These works feel deeply personal — chosen not just for greatness, but for resonance. I would LOVE to see the rest of the works he had in his collection!
Scott Thomas Buckle’s Drawings Collection
Collector and art historian Buckle began assembling his collection in the 1980s. His focus? Victorian drawings that show artists in process—sketches of models, preliminary studies, moments of experimentation. Notable inclusions:
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Drawings by Millais, Waterhouse, Alma-Tadema, and others—many on public display for the first time.
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Eliza Stillman, Study of a Young Woman’s Head — an evocative drawing that highlights the sensitivity and strength of lesser-known Victorian women artists.
Why the Pairing Works
These two collections—one paintings, one drawings; decades apart—create a conversation within Leighton House’s evocative interiors. You move from the completed, richly-rendered beauty of Victorian oil into the intimate, immediate energy of pencil, pen, and wash. It’s like watching two sides of the same creative impulse play out.
Visiting Info
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Where: Leighton House Museum, 12 Holland Park Rd, London W14 8LZ
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Dates: Until 21 September 2025
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Opening Hours: Wednesday–Monday, 10:00 am–5:30 pm (last entry 4:30 pm); closed Tuesdays
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Admission: Regular admission applies; drawings exhibit is included
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Special Event: After-hours evening exploration with a bar, Fri 12 September, 5:30–8:30 pm
Closing Reflection
Walking through these collections, you sense that collectors are storytellers too—curating not just works, but context and feeling. Looking at the works they chose gives you an insight into their interests and also a massive admiration for the fabulous eye they must have had for great works and the artists that they followed.
Do you have a personal experience of discovering something surprising—an object, a painting, even an old shop—that changed how you see collecting or craftsmanship? I’d love to hear about it.