London - Ludwig Mond’s gift to the nation of 42 paintings is the single largest bequest to have been made to the National Gallery.  For the German industrialist, this gift of some of the most significant paintings by early Italian masters was a poignant way to contribute to his adopted country, providing a generous gift that can be enjoyed for many generations to come.  Bequests are crucial to the development and growth of our cultural heritage and are ever more vital as the Gallery moves into the 21^st century.

Born in Kassel in 1839, Mond moved to England in 1862 to avoid increasing German anti-Semitism.  Following the foundation of Brunner, Mond & Co. (later ICI), Mond set up residence in London with his wife Frida and together they enjoyed the company of artists and writers.  One of the foremost industrial chemists of his time, Ludwig Mond could be seen as an unlikely benefactor to the nation’s greatest collection of western art.  However, as he grew increasingly fond of English culture, he took the decision to convert his industrial wealth into cultural capital.  Through a chance encounter with the German art historian Jean Paul Richter, Mond found the perfect conduit for this artistic investment.  With Richter as his advisor, Mond was soon to form one of the most substantial private art collections in the UK, ranked as one of the finest in the world.

Mond’s paintings were a pleasurable part of the collector’s daily life. His first acquisition was Fra Bartolomeo’s Virgin adoring the Child with Saint Joseph in 1885, of which he was so fond that it hung in his private library for the rest of his life.  Similarly, Titian’s intimate Virgin and Child (acquired in 1892) was displayed on an easel in the same library, to be studied closely and often. Richter and Mond’s close collaboration resulted in the acquisition of an extraordinary 85 paintings by 1895.

Ludwig Mond died in 1909.  A codicil of his will stated that his collection was to remain with his wife but upon her death part of it was to be offered to the Trustees of the National Gallery.  With this act Mond’s private, much-loved collection was to be entrusted to the people of Britain and enjoyed by many.  39 pictures entered the National Gallery in 1924, following Frida Mond’s death, followed by two more in 1938 and one in 1946.

This Room 1 exhibition will focus on some of the highlights of the Bequest with 8 paintings, including Raphael’s key early work, The Crucified Christ with the Virgin Mary, Saints and Angels and Bellini’s exquisitely moving The Dead Christ Supported by Angels, as well as works by such masters as Botticelli, Mantegna and Garofalo. Room 1 will be supplemented by a further 26 paintings from the Bequest displayed together in Room E and brought together for the first time since the early 1950s.  Six other paintings from the Bequest will be on display on the main floor.

A booklet on the life of Ludwig Mond, his collection and the story of his Bequest, will accompany the exhibition.

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