The Wallace Collection is fortunate to own probably the finest collection of Richard Parkes Bonington in the world. The ten oils and 25 watercolours represnt most of his major areas of interest, ranging from richly costumed historical scenes to views in France and northern Italy, particularly Venice. Though not as famous as his great contemporaries Constable and Turner, Bonington was a more instinctive artist than either, producing some of the most beautiful paintings of the romantic era when he was little more than 20 years old. This work discusses each painting of the collection and illustrates all of them in colour. It also provides a biographical introduction with illustrations of related paintings and drawings by Bonington and his contemporaries.