Sixty Old Master paintings drawn from the collection of one of England's grandest Elizabethan houses come to Lakeview Museum in Italian Renaissance and Baroque Paintings; Paintings from the Burghley House Collection September 21 to Nov. 17, 1996. This outstanding collection of 16th to 18th century paintings has remained nearly intact for more than 300 years at Burghley House, a 750 room house located 9 0 miles from London and home to 17 generations of the Cecil family. The house is the oldest home in England still lived in continuously by the same family.

Burghley House was finished in 1587 for Sir William Cecil, later Lord Burghley and Earl of Exeter. Though the interior was remodeled in the 1690s, the house remains the finest example of late 16th century architecture in England. Remodeling work was done by renowned artists and architects, including Antonio Verrio, Grinling Gibbons and Louis Laguerre. The 120 acre Deer Park surrounding the home was landscaped by Capability Brown. Today, eighteen state rooms are open to visitors, filled with treasures from the collections largely made by John, Fifth Earl of Exeter. John Cecil visited Europe on at least three occasions between 1679 and 1701, buying the work of the leading painters then active in Italy, especially Carlo Dolci and Luca Giordano in Florence, Carlo Maratta in Rome and many other atists from Genoa, Venice, Bologna and Naples. The Lakeview Museum exhibition examines the history of this unusual collection, and the external influences that governed the 5th Earl's purchases and commissions, including his friendship with the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo de Medici III.

Through the centuries, occasional pieces from the collection were sold to pay debts and taxes, however, the collection largely remains intact. The only significant loss to the collection was Poussin's Assumption of the Virgin, now in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. But, because so few of the Burghley treasures have ever been publicly exhibited outside the house, the collection remains little known except to knowledgeable connoisseurs. Italian Renaissance & Baroque Paintings: Treasures from the Burghley House Collection at Lakeview Museum offers an unparalleled opportunity to discover one of the oldest and most influential private collections in Great Britain.

The exhibition is organized and circulated by Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia. Support has been provided by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation; Sotheby's, London; and an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Serving as Honorary Patrons for the exhbiition are His Excellency Sir Robin Renwick, former British Ambassador to the United States, and His Excellency Boris Biancheri, former Italian Ambassador to the United States.

The Lakeview Museum exhibition is underwritten by Anonymous Friends of Lakeview Museum, Melvyn R. and Rosalyn J. Regal, William J. and Margaret L. O'Neill, with support from Underwood's Furniture Galleries, the Peoria Tourism Reserve Fund, George J. and Norma R. Kottemann and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Promotional support provided from the Simantel Group, television sponsor WHOI-TV, Wayne Printing, Rick Kessinger Photography, Scantech Color Systems, and additional support from WMBD-TV. Gallery Renovations underwritten by the Bielfeldt Foundation.

Lakeview Museum is at 1125 W. Lake Ave. in Peoria, IL. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday till 8 Wednesday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $2.50 for adults, $1.50 for seniors and students. Museum members and three & under are free. Call 309/686-7000 for more information.