John Pettie, A State Secret, 1874, oil on canvas. Courtesy of Royal Holloway, University of London NEW HAVEN, CT.- In the last years of his life, Thomas Holloway (1800-1883), a self-made millionaire, dedicated himself to creating a world-class collection...

David Roberts, A Modern Mansion, Cairo, Roberts’ travels to the Middle East from 1838-1839 were described by his biographer James Ballantine as the “great central episode of his artistic life”. He returned from this trip laden with material which, over...