On a frosty January afternoon a group of Dukes Club members came together to explore a hidden gem on the edge London’s wild and beautiful Hampstead Heath. First built in the early 17th Century and transformed into a Neoclassical villa between 1769 and 1719, Kenwood House is the perfect example of an 18th Century gentleman’s residence.
With art historian and Principal of Hampstead Fine Arts College, Candy Cave, as our guide, we began our exploration in Kenwood’s exquisite library. A beautiful example of Neoclassical-Rococo fusion with its wedding cake-like mouldings and arched ceiling adorned with paintings by Antonia Zucchi. Designed by renowned architect of the time, Robert Adam, the room has been decorated in its original colour scheme following a conservation project in 2012 and is truly a space designed to elevate the senses.
But this was just the start. Candy followed by leading us into a room stuffed with art works from some of the great Dutch masters. Centre stage is what is arguably Rembrandt’s greatest self-portrait, ‘Portrait of the artist’. The group learnt how he achieved a focus on the face through lighting, and a build-up of paint on the nose, causing the viewer to empathise with this rather self-deprecating and casual portrayal of the artist following his fall from favour in later life.
We went on to explore more great pieces, discovering the story of Jan Vermeer’s ‘Guitar player’ which has been stolen from the house on two separate occasions and is now too fragile to be moved. We analysed Van Dyck’s use of proportion in ‘Princess Henrietta of Lorraine attended by a page’, and we gazed upon Frans Hals’ beautifully dressed and gaily smiling ‘Pieter Van Den Broeke’.
Candy rounded up her tour in the lavish music room – one which is almost entirely devoted to portrayals of women by the great British portrait painters, Gainsborough and Reynolds.
The sixth Dukes Club gallery tour came to a close with inspired debate, conversation and plans for more. Keep an eye on the events page for more of Candy’s gallery tours coming up in the near future.