History and Collections

Kenwood Collection Highlights

Kenwood’s collection includes fine historic interiors, sculpture, furniture and jewellery. Most famous are the house’s internationally renowned paintings, which include works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Reynolds.

Explore a selection of highlights from the magnificent Kenwood collection below.

In 1764, the 1st Earl of Mansfield commissioned Robert Adam to remodel Kenwood House. Many items of furniture from this period were made for specific rooms by leading London makers. Although a four-day sale in 1922 dispersed the majority of these furnishings, some of the original items have now been traced and returned to the house.

The internationally renowned collection of paintings has grown from an initial gift of 63 works. These were bequeathed in 1928 by Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, to evoke the atmosphere of an 18th-century gentleman's house.

Below is a selection of just some of the objects and artworks that can be found at Kenwood today.

The Zucchi Ceiling

Explore the painted ceiling by Antonio Zucchi in Kenwood's Robert Adam library in ultra high resolution. Best viewed on desktops and tablets.

Discover more of Kenwood's incredible art collection on Google Arts and Culture

More about Kenwood’s collections

  • THE IVEAGH BEQUEST

    Kenwood’s internationally important collection of paintings was bequeathed by Lord Iveagh in 1927. Find out about the collection and the man behind it.

     

     

  • The Suffolk Collection

    This fine collection of royal and family portraits spanning the 16th to the 19th centuries includes internationally important paintings by William Larkin.

  • MINIATURES, JEWELLERY AND SHOE BUCKLES

    Kenwood is home to three distinct collections of small, portable Georgian treasures that reveal the skills of 18th-century artists and craftspeople.

  • Rembrandt’s self-portrait with two circles

    Learn about the historical and artistic significance of one of the finest surviving Rembrandt self-portraits, now a highlight of the Kenwood collection.

  • Old London Bridge

    Take an in-depth look at this masterpiece by 17th-century Dutch artist Claude de Jongh, one of the Iveagh Bequest’s most popular paintings.

  • SPOTLIGHT ON REYNOLDS

    We explore the life and work of the great 18th-century portrait painter, Joshua Reynolds through his 17 paintings in the collection at Kenwood. 

  • Emma Hamilton, Artist’s Muse

    Discover how George Romney’s portraits of Emma Hamilton, including The Spinstress, propelled its subject to fame.

  • Pictures of Innocence

    Discover how, from the mid 18th century, new ideas about innocence, morality and family were reflected in the art of the Georgian age.