Comte de Pourtalès Collection

[1] The Comte de Pourtalès-Gorgier (1776–1855), was a Swiss-French banker who served as Chamberlain to the King of Prussia and was awarded the title of Count by King Frederick William III, who ruled Prussia during the Napoleonic Wars and the end of the Holy Roman Empire.

The collection, which started with a vase,[2] included the Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals and works by Bronzino, Rembrandt, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and a Sandro Botticelli portrait.

[1] In February and March 1865, ten years after his death, his collection was auctioned off in Paris in accordance with his will.

The majority of his collection was photographed and published in a large folio catalog by Goupil & Cie.[4][5] The Laughing Cavalier was purchased by Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford (who outbid Baron James Mayer de Rothschild).

William Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney bought some of the important Egyptian objects.