Kenwood: paintings in the Iveagh Bequest

Abstract

Set high on a ridge in historic parkland less than five miles from Trafalgar Square, Kenwood is London's favourite country house. Remodelled by Robert Adam in the 18th century, in 1928 it became the home of the Iveagh Bequest, a superb collection of old master paintings donated by Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh. The collection includes Rembrandt's most celebrated self-portrait, one of only five Vermeers in Britain, Gainsborough's Countess Howe, and classic works by Reynolds, Romney, Lawrence, and Turner. This book is published to mark the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Iveagh Bequest and is the first new catalogue of the collection to be produced in 50 years. It discusses each work, revealing details about the portrait subjects, the social circumstances of each commission, and the way that art met the ambitions of artists, patrons, sitters, and collectors. There are also two introductory essays that provide historical background for the house and for the collecting goals of Lord Iveagh.