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Sir William and Lady Burrell did not simply collect art, they liked to live with it. The Hutton Rooms near the entrance of the Collection include an exact reconstruction of the dining room at their home in Hutton Castle, with carved panels from the 15th century and priceless tapestries.

A superb round-up of artifacts from the Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures. Don’t miss the wicked eye of the cockerel preserved in a Roman mosaic.

More than just a doorway, the portal is almost an entire castle wall of 16th-century heraldic carvings, removed from Hornby Castle. It was the largest object Burrell collected and has been superbly incorporated into the structure of the building.

One of the gallery’s special surprises is its 600 panels of medieval stained glass. The delight is in the detail for, aside from common religious themes, these panels also give a fascinating glimpse into everyday life in the Middle Ages.

Burrell justly considered his 150 tapestries to be the most valuable part of his collection. They once hung in the most powerful courts in the world. Look for the enchanting Bible Tapestry from 16th-century Germany and the incredible narrative, Scenes from the Life of Christ and of the Virgin (c.1450).

Chinese ceramicists are masters in the depiction of movement, colour and expression. Good examples are the Tang dynasty horse , stiff with fear, the pouncing lion roof tile and the exuberance of the storks on an enamelled Guan jar. As well as these great works, you’ll see writhing dragons galore.

This section covers an astounding diversity of material, from Chinese jades to Near Eastern carpets. Make sure you see the humorous Japanese prints, such as Shoki The Demon Queller , and the fine Central Asian embroideries.

Art was almost exclusively religious in this period, and the Burrell has exceptional ecclesiastical sculptures from European churches. Equally arresting is a 15th-century Book of Hours , made for a Breton lady.

The star exhibits are Rembrandt’s 1632 Self-Portrait as a moustached youth, and Frans Hals’ Portrait of a Gentleman (1639), which was Burrell’s most expensive buy.

Don’t ignore neighbouring Pollok House, which has one of Britain’s best collections of Spanish paintings and is set within a beautiful and extensive park .