1.32. The wallace collection

Read the text and find the words denoting collection items.

The Wallace Collection displays superb works of art in probably the most sumptuous ( роскошный, богатый) interiors of any museum in London. Many people regard it as their favourite place in the capital.

The Collection was bequeathed (завещать) to the nation by Sir Richard's widow in 1897 and is displayed on the ground and the first floors of Hertford House, the family's main London residence.

There you can see unsurpassed collections of French eighteenth-century painting, furniture and porcelain together with Old Master paintings by, among others, Titian, Canaletto, Rembrandt, Hals, Rubens, Velazquez and Gainsborough. The finest collection of arms and armour in England outside the Tower of London is shown in four galleries and further displays of gold boxes, miniatures, French and Italian sculpture and medieval and Renaissance works of art including Limoges enamels, maiolica, glass, silver, cuttings from illuminated manuscripts and carvings in ivory, rock crystal and boxwood.

The Wallace Collection owes its splendid display of eighteenth-century French painting, particularly Watteau, Boucher and Fragonard and its important collection of pictures by French and English artists of the early nineteenth century including Delacroix and Bonington. The collection of miniatures numbers more than three hundred.

The spectacular collection of eighteenth-century French furniture contains a number of pieces made for royal residences including the chest of drawers made for Louis XV's bedroom at Versailles in 1739 and the secretaries made for Queen Marie-Antoinette by the leading cabinet-maker of the period, Riesener. Among the best loved objects in the entire Collection are the many beautiful clocks including a gilt-bronze musical clock which plays thirteen different tunes. At Hertford House you can see the finest museum collection of Sevres in the world, including exquisite (изысканный, изящный) pieces once owned by Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour.

The Wallace Collection is particularly strong in finely decorated pieces of armour for parade, tournament and use in the field, and in the series of sixteenth and seventeenth-century swords.

Exercise

Answer the questions:

1. What does the Wallace Collection display ?

2. What is its history?

3. What great paintings can you see there?

4. What does the collection of furniture contain?

5. What can you see at Hertford House?

1.33. Clowning

Read the text about clowning and find the names of the clowns.

Everybody loves a clown. We love his odd clothes, his fantastic make­up, his silly antics and his old jokes.

The first clowns we know were about 4,000 years ago. Like clowns through the ages, they were allowed to say almost everything they liked, even to the Emperor — sometimes they were the only people who could tell him he was doing some­thing wrong.

Clowns took part in the stage comedies of the an­cient Greek and Roman theatre. One of the Roman clowns was always called the "Stupidus", a very good name for him.

In the Middle Ages, clowns became part of the band ot "mummers", who travelled around entertain­ing people at country fairs and markets. Some of them became court jesters or "fools".

Clowns have also been important in the theatre. Shakespeare wrote some very good scenes for his clowns (Trinculo, Touch­stone, Launcelot, Gobbo, Feste, etc.).

In the Italian theatre of the 16th century, the plays of the Commedia dell' Arte always included a charac­ter called Arlechino (the clown Harlequin) and Pier­rot. When these kinds of plays came to England, they were called "Harle­quinades" — a sort of ear­ly pantomime.

Perhaps the most famous clown of all was Joey Gri-maldi, who was born in 1778. Circus clowns are often still called Joey in his honour.

White-faced clowns are usually nimble and grace­ful, but other clowns are always clumsy, and they are called "augustes". It's always the auguste who gets the bucket of water over his head or the cus­tard pie in his face.

All clowns create their own special makeup and costume, and are very proud of them. Some are musicians, or acrobats, or fight-rope walkers as well. They have to be very talented.

Though most clowns in the past have been men, because it wasn't "proper" for women to entertain people, there have been women clowns (over the past 100 years and there are quite a lot today).

Exercise

Complete the sentences:

1. The first clowns we know were ... ... ...

2. They were allowed to ... .. ...

3. In the Middle Ages, clowns became ... ... ...

4. Shakespeare wrote ... ... ...

5. In the Italian theatre of the 16th century, .. ... ...

6. Perhaps the most famous clown of all ... ... ...

7. All clowns create ... ... ...