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The treasures of Kenwood house

 

Kenwood House, the north front (photo), . / Hampstead, London, UK / © English Heritage Photo Library
Kenwood House, the north front (photo), . / Hampstead, London, UK / © English Heritage Photo Library

 

Picturesquely perched on the edge of Hampstead Heath in North London, Kenwood House is now open after an 18-month restoration. The house is renowned for its interiors, designed by Scottish neoclassical architect Robert Adam, and a magnificent painting collection known as the Iveagh Bequest

Donated to the nation by Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh (1847–1927) and heir to the world’s most successful brewery, the Iveagh Bequest reflects the aristocratic tastes of the Georgian era, which includes portraiture, landscape, and seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish works. During the restoriation, the paintings was sent on a US tour. 

Masterpieces from the collection include Vermeer’s The Guitar Player (1672) and Rembrandt's self portrait (c. 1665). The latter is considered by Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones as, without question, "the single greatest painting in a British collection".
 
 

 

Self Portrait, c.1665 (oil on canvas) by Rembrandt (1606-69) / The Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood House / © English Heritage Photo Library
Self Portrait, c.1665 (oil on canvas) by Rembrandt (1606-69) / The Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood House / © English Heritage Photo Library

 

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