[This is the first in a series of articles to describe some
of the most interesting and attractive places in London].
The two buildings which are the subject of this article are
probably better known as the home of two splendid collections, The Iveagh Bequest at Kenwood and The Wallace Collection at Hertford House. Both great collections add lustre and
cultural splendour to London.
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| Kenwood House, Hampstead, London |
Kenwood House is
on the Highgate / Hampstead border in North London, about 5 miles from the
centre and adjoining the extensive open park and woodlands of Hampstead Heath.
There was an earlier Jacobean house on the site in 1616 and the property
changed ownership many times before being favoured by the Scottish aristocracy
in the form of the Dukes of Argyll, Earls of Bute and finally in 1754 being
bought by William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield. Mansfield was a very
influential Lord Chief Justice, born at Scone Palace, Perthshire who lived at
Kenwood until he died in 1793. He remodelled the house substantially and
entrusted the work to the inspired Scots architect Robert Adam.
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| Adam's Library at Kenwood |
The Library at Kenwood is considered Adam’s finest interior
and it is indeed the epitome of an 18th century gentleman’s retreat,
with classical columns, arches picked out in rose and blue, medallions on the
ceiling, laden bookshelves and charming contemporary furniture. Kenwood had
been closed many months to replace the roof, eliminate damp and refresh the
décor. I was there about 10 days ago and it looks very fine. I confess to being
underwhelmed by the décor which was restrained, no doubt in the cause of
authenticity, but I would have preferred more vibrant and glossy colours. I am
not sure I approve either of the handsome Orangery being used as a crèche or lairage for the noisy younger
generation.
The Mansfields kept a run-down Kenwood until 1925 when it
was sold to millionaire brewer and philanthropist Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st
Lord Iveagh. Iveagh had acquired a fine collection of paintings in 1880-90s and
he restored much of the 18th century elegance of Kenwood hanging his
paintings there. He died in 1927 and made a most generous bequest of the house
and most of his collection to the people of London, opening to the public in
1928.
The collection is relatively small (about 65 paintings) but
there are real treasures – a Self
Portrait of a weary Rembrandt, Vermeer’s striking Guitar Player, Gainsborough’s masterly Countess Howe, and rustic Bouchers, several Joshua Reynolds, works
by Franz Hals, Aelbert Cuyp, Romney and Raeburn.
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| Self-Portrait by Rembrandt |
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| The Guitar Player by Vermeer |
Blue-stocking Hampstead ladies of a certain age flock to the
easily accessible art and discuss its merits in authoritative tones. As well as
the House itself, Kenwood is a great favourite with North Londoners, a place
for walks in a sylvan setting, a place for picnics, a venue for classical and
pop concerts in summer and a paradise for pet dogs of all varieties. Our
Yorkie, Peke and Elkhound delighted to jump into the rather muddy Lake, have a
swim and shake their wet coats over innocent passers-by. By any standards it is
a most civilised place.
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| Countess Howe by Thomas Gainsborough --------------------------------------- |
If Kenwood has a national reputation, The Wallace Collection at Hertford House has an international one. Behind the somewhat lugubrious façade of
Hertford House, there is a treasure house of unique French art, Old Master
paintings, medieval and renaissance artefacts, armour, pottery and wonderful
furniture.
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| The Wallace Collection, Manchester Square, London W1 |
Manchester Square was laid out in the 1780s - it was near to
good duck shooting (alas, no more!). Hertford House was originally named
Manchester House after the distinguished 4th Duke but the
Manchesters did not prosper, running through their fortune and the 12th Duke,
Angus Montagu, who died in 2002, had been a trouser salesman, crocodile
wrestler and spent 28 months in a Florida penitentiary for fraud. The building
was variously the Spanish and later the French embassy and was leased by the
Seymour-Conway family, soon Marquesses of Hertford, and became their London
home to supplement their ancestral pile, Ragley Hall in Warwickshire.
The 3rd Marquess, a Regency rake, loved France and collected
then unfashionable Louis XV art until he died in 1842.The Collection proper was
developed by the eccentric 4th Marquis, who lived almost all his
life in France, in Paris and at the Chateau de Bagatelle in the Bois de
Boulogne owned by the immensely rich family. When he died in 1870 his
illegitimate son Sir Richard Wallace bought widely and wisely particularly
acquiring medieval and renaissance objects. After he died in 1890 his widow, in
accordance with his wishes, bequeathed the Collection and Hertford House to the
nation and it opened to the public in 1900.
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| The bankers' staircase |
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| A Boucher from the Collection |
On entering the House a staircase with an elaborate and
gracious balustrade greets you. There is a jarring note however as it came from
the Bank of France, soon to collapse in 1720 and in its decoration there are
cornucopias, featuring bank-notes and bags of coin. Bankers were pretty crass
even in 1720! On the top landing there is a sequence of lovely paintings by
Boucher.
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| The Dance to the Music of Time by Poussin |
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| The Swing by Fragonard |
Every room is filled with paintings and furniture of the
highest quality. Boulle cabinets, huge regal desks, give context to marvellous
examples of the work of Watteau, Pater, Hals and a host of others, including
the allegorical Poussin above and the iconic Rococo The Swing by Fragonard. English School portraits abound together
with exquisite enamels, snuff-boxes and pottery, including my favourite
Majolica from Urbino. The wooden floors creak welcomingly as I visited last
week and the renovation of the Great Gallery will be completed by September
2014. The whole Wallace Collection experience is a life-enhancing one.
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| French Furniture at the Wallace Collection |
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| Majolica from Urbino |
SMD
7.01.2014
Text
Copyright © Sidney Donald 2014
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