Kenwood: The Iveagh Bequest

The Iveagh Bequest "The Guitare Player" by VERMEER Jan(1632-75) Kenwood enchants visitors in many ways. This eighteenth-century villa with splendid interiors and gardens has an intriguing history; it is also an art gallery housing an outstanding collection of Old Master paintings.

Kenwood enchants visitors in many ways. This eighteenth-century villa with splendid interiors and gardens has an intriguing history; it is also an art gallery housing an outstanding collection of Old Master paintings. Robert Adam remodelled the neoclassical villa between 1764 and 1779 for the first Earl of Mansfield, the greatest English judge of the eighteenth century. In 1927 the house and grounds were bequeathed to the nation by Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl of Iveagh, chairman of the world's most successful brewery. Kenwood is home to his collection of masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Turner, Gainsborough, Reynolds and others.