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Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London, is home to the Harold Samuel Collection, comprising 83 oil paintings by Dutch and Flemish Golden Age artists. The property developer Harold Samuel was an avid collector of Netherlandish art, all of which he purchased via the dealer Edward Speelman. He bequeathed the collection to the City of London Corporation upon his death in 1987, on the condition that it be permanently kept at Mansion House; having accumulated works suitable for display in his own home at Wych Cross Place, Sussex, he was keen that they should remain in a domestic setting rather than a museum.   

The collection includes landscapes, still lifes and genre scenes by some of the most prodigious artists of the period, including Jan Steen, Nicolas Maes and Jan van der Heyden. Most of the works are on the smaller side befitting a private residence, but the centrepiece is a large work by Frans Hals, The Merry Lute Player (1626).  

Please note that Mansion House is not generally open to the public. It can be visited by guided tour; the regular tours include some parts of the Harold Samuel collection, but a private tour which focuses on the artwork can also be arranged. Details on how to book tours can be found on the website of the City of London.