The Holburne opened its doors as Bath's first art museum in 1893 and has since continued to attract gifts and bequests, developing the collection's strengths. Today the Museum boasts nationally important collections of Renaissance bronzes and maiolica, seventeenth-century silver and eighteenth-century porcelain. In more recent years the Museum has established a reputation for British eighteenth-century portraiture including works by Stubbs, Ramsay and perhaps most notably Gainsborough, who lived and worked in Bath for sixteen years. The Holburne was once described as 'the most charming building in the United Kingdom which was designed for the display of works of art'. Recently this building has been enhanced by a striking extension which has allowed for the complete redisplay of its collection and the creation of new exhibition galleries. This beautifully illustrated survey offers a fascinating history of this much-loved Museum and jewel-like collection. 107 colour ?6 b/w illustrations
