Re-collecting Cypriot antiquity: the Kent collection in Harrogate

Abstract

Abstract Formed by the Kent family – farmers and landowners from the north of England – the little-known Kent collection brought together antiquities from Greece, Rome, Egypt and Cyprus, alongside weapons, armour, furniture and textiles. On the death of Benjamin Kent in 1968, most of the collection was bequeathed to the Harrogate Corporation, sparking debate on the value of such heterogeneous collections for general public audiences. This article investigates the collection’s history, examining the practices that formed it, the quasi-museum setting of the Kent family home, and the collection’s display following its transfer to municipal ownership. We focus on the ancient Cypriot objects, some of which can be traced to Thomas Backhouse Sandwith, British vice-consul on Cyprus from 1865 to 1870 and an important figure in the early collecting of Cypriot antiquities in the UK. Through this exploration, we consider how histories of collections, especially smaller-scale collections of private individuals, can re-contextualize objects and enrich their interpretation.