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Design for the hall chimney piece of Houghton Hall, Norfolk, with marble bust of Sir Robert Walpole by Rysbrack

Maker

(artist)
1684-1748

Title

Date of Production

1726

Medium

graphite, pen and grey ink, grey wash on laid paper, executed using a ruler

Dimensions

Height: 23.9 cm
Width: 17 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.3217

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

This drawing may have been made for presentation to the client, Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole. Walpole commissioned the design of the building of his country seat in Norfolk from Colin Campbell; the design of details such as the fireplaces were commissioned from Kent, and the sculpture, including the marble bust of Walpole shown here, from J.M. Rysbrack. The drawing could either have been made as a proposal for Walpole's approval, or as a record of the finished work, since the chimney piece was carried out exactly as shown here.

Notes

Engraved in W. Kent, 'Designs of Inigo Jones', London, 1770, vol. I, pl. 64 (available on archive.org). The print is in reverse to this drawing, without the name 'Houghton' over the mantle. This drawing does not appear to have been incised, however.

Provenance

Jacob Isaacs (1896-1973); Hans M. Calmann, London (1899-1982); purchased from him by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, n.d.; Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Houghton Hall: The Prime Minister, the Empress and the Heritage, Norwich Castle Museum; Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood, 12/10/1996-20/04/1997

A Tercentenary tribute to William Kent: born Bridlington 1685, died 1748, architect, landscape, furniture & interior designer, painter & book illustrator, The Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, 07/09/1985-20/12/1985

Drawings from the Witt Collection, University of Southampton, 16/02/1970-04/03/1970 ...More

Architectural Drawings from the Witt Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/07/1961-01/10/1961 ...Less

Literature

Laycock, John, William Kent's Ceiling Paintings at Houghton Hall, The Houghton Arts Foundation, Houghton 2021
cat. no. 10b
p. 18
ill. on p. 19

Architectural Drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1961
cat. no. 30

Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 29

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: Verso: centre: "[cross] / IHS / IVILLEDARY" (tracing in file; according to Churchill, this name covers papers over 150 years, starting around 1668, predominant on French and Dutch papers; similar marks in Heawood, though smaller than ours, are: 1809 - early 18th c?; 1835A - no place or date; 2971 - London, 1766?).

Inscription: Recto: centre (over fireplace), grey ink: "Houghton". Verso: lower centre, black ink, signed and dated: “Wm Kent / 1726“; lower left, graphite: "T 1".

Collector's mark: Verso: lower right corner, stamped in black: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

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