Belsyse, in Middlesex, is situated on the south west side of Hampstead hill, and was a fine seat belonging to the Lord Wotton, and afterwards to the late Earl of Chesterfield: but in the year 1720, it was converted into a place of polite entertainment, particularly for music, dancing, and play, when it was much frequented on account of its neighbourhood to London: but since that time it has been suffered to run to ruin.
S. Wale del. B. Green sculp.
Belvedere House.
Belvedere House, this belongs to Sampson Gideon, Esq; is situated on the brow of a hill, near Erith in Kent, and commands a vast extent of a fine country many miles beyond the Thames, which is about a mile and half distant. This river and navigation add greatly to the beauty of this scene, which exhibits to the eye of the delighted spectator, as pleasing a landskip of the kind as imagination can form. The innumerable ships employed in the immense trade of London, are beheld continually sailing up and down the river. On the other side are prospects not less beautiful, tho’ of another kind. This gentleman has very judiciously laid out his grounds, and made many beautiful vistas. The house is but small, tho’ an addition has been made of a very noble room; this and two others are finely furnish’d with pictures, of which follows a catalogue. The collection, though not numerous, is very valuable, it containing none but pieces which are originals by the greatest masters, and some of them very capital.
In the Long Parlour.
| Height. Feet Inc. | Breadth. Feet Inc. | Painted by | |
| View of Venice | |||
| Ditto, with the Doge marrying the sea | 2. | 4 6 | Canaletti. |
| Its companion | |||
| Time bringing truth to light, a sketch | 2 5 | 3 0 | Rubens. |
| The Alchymist | 3 1 | 4 2 | Teniers. |
| Portrait of Sir John Gage | 3 1 | 2 7 | Holbein. |
| A landskip | 2 0 | 2 4 | G. Poussin. |
| Battle of the Amazons | 1 1 | 1 6 | Rottenhammer. |
| The unjust Steward | 2 7 | 4 6 | Quintin Matsys. |
In the Lobby.
| Noah’s Ark | 1 9 | 2 10 | Velvet Brughel. |
| St. Catherine | 2 6 | 2 0 | Leonardo da Vinci. |
| Van Trump | 2 10 | 2 4 | Francis Hals. |
| Vulcan, or the element of Fire | 4 6 | 5 9 | Bassan. |
| A picture of horses, its companion | 1 8 | 1 4 | Wouverman. |
| Two insides of churches, small | 0 0 | 0 0 | De Neef. |
| A Dutch woman and her three children | 1 9 | 1 6 | Sir Ant. More. |
| Rembrant painting an old woman | 2 10 | 2 0 | by himself. |
| A courtezan and her gallant | 2 4 | 2 4 | Giorgione. |
| The golden age | 2 0 | 3 2 | Velvet Brughel. |
| Snyders with his wife and child | 5 4 | 4 0 | Rubens. |
| Rebecca bringing presents to Laban | 4 6 | 3 2 | De la Hyre. |
| Boors at cards | 2 0 | 2 0 | Teniers. |
| The element of Earth | 4 6 | 5 9 | Jai. Bassan. |
| Marriage in Cana of Gallilee | 4 0 | 5 0 | P. Veronese. |
| Two landskips | 2 0 | 3 2 | G. Poussin. |
| The genealogy of Christ | 3 0 | 2 3 | Albert Durer. |
| Beggar boys at cards | 2 0 | 1 4 | Salvator Rosa. |
| Herod consulting the wisemen | 1 4 | 2 8 | Rembrant. |
| Marriage of St. Catherine | 2 8 | 3 2 | Old Palma. |
| two fine bas relievos in brass, one Bacchus and Ariadne, the other Ceres teaching Triptolemus the use of the plough | by Soldani |
In the Saloon.
| The conception, painted for an altar piece | 7 8 | 7 8 | Murillo. |
| The flight into Egypt, its companion | Ditto. | ||
| Vulcan, Venus, Cupid, and sundry | 5 6 | 8 4 | Tintoret. |
| figures, an emblematic subject | |||
| Mars and Venus | 5 8 | 4 3 | P. Veronese. |
| Christ among the Doctors | 5 2 | 6 6 | L. Giordano. |
| Duke of Buckingham’s mistress, her | 5 8 | 5 6 | by himself. |
| three children, and a son of Rubens | |||
| A landskip | 4 10 | 6 2 | Claude. |
| Leopold’s gallery | Teniers. | ||
| Teniers, own gallery, its companion | 3 2 | 4 2 | Ditto. |