William Kent (1685 - 1748)
RA Collection: People and Organisations
Painter, designer, architect and gardener, William Kent was one of the most wide-ranging talents in 18th century Britain.
Kent was born into a modest family in Bridlington, Yorkshire in 1686, but found sufficient local patronage to allow him to travel to Italy. At a time when there was little in the way of formal artistic training in Britain, study in Italy was crucial for Kent’s artistic aspirations. Kent lived in Italy between 1709 and 1719, where he studied with Giuseppe Chiari, a student of Carlo Maratta. In Italy he also encountered the third earl of Burlington and Thomas Coke of Holkham, both of whom became important patrons for Kent.
On his return to London, Kent quickly became part of Burlington’s circle (which also included the poet Alexander Pope and the composer Handel) – his paintings Banquet of the Gods and Assembly of the Gods, now in the RA collection, were painted for Burlington. Kent received a prestigious commission to decorate a room in Kensington Palace in 1722 in preference to Sir James Thornhill. This at once set up opposing camps: the Italianate reformers in Burlington’s circle and the native British tradition favoured by Thornhill, his son-in-law William Hogarth, and their associates.
While trained as a painter, back in England Kent became interested in architecture and gardening. His architectural work was broadly in the Palladian style associated with Burlington, and included Holkham Hall in Norfolk (for Coke), the Horse Guards and Treasury buildings in London. His gardening, meanwhile, moved away from the formal gardens which preceded him, towards the more natural layouts later favoured by Capability Brown. Kent also designed furniture and interior schemes to complement his idiosyncratic buildings, which all show a painter’s eye brought to bear on the built environment.
Profile
Born: 1685
Died: 12 April 1748
Gender: Male
Works by William Kent in the RA Collection
20 results
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William Kent
Design for an armchair, 1744
Etching
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William Kent
'Chandelier for the King', 1744
Etching
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William Kent
Initial at opening of Book II of Pope's 'The Dunciad'
Etching
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William Kent
The opening page of Book II of Pope's 'The Dunciad'
Letterpress and etching
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William Kent
Head-piece to Book II of Pope's 'The Dunciad'
Etching
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William Kent
The opening page of Book III of Pope's 'The Dunciad'
Letterpress and etching
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William Kent
The opening page of Book I of Pope's 'The Dunciad'
Letterpress and etching
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William Kent
Initial at opening of Book I of Pope's 'The Dunciad'
Etching
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William Kent
Head-piece to Book III of Pope's 'The Dunciad'
Etching
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William Kent
Head-piece to Book I of Pope's 'The Dunciad'
Etching
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Attributed to Jacques Parmentier and William Kent
Portrait of a Man (Lord Burlington ?), ?1680-1720
Oil on canvas
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William Kent
Assembly of the Gods, 1719-20
Oil on plaster
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William Kent
The Glorification of Inigo Jones, 1719-20
Oil on canvas
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William Kent
Banquet of the Gods, 1719-20
Oil on canvas
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William Kent
Designs for a public Gallery, 1727
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William Kent
The side of a Cube Room, 1727
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William Kent
Rooms at the houses of Lord Arundel and Lord Burlington, 1727
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William Kent
A chimney-piece in the Drawing Room at Kensington, 1727
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William Kent
Chimney-piece at Houghton Hall , 1727
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William Kent
Chimney-pieces at the homes of the Earl of Burlington, Lord Arundel and Henry Pelham, 1727
Works after William Kent in the RA Collection
5 results
Works associated with William Kent in the RA Collection
14 results
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Jakob Frey the elder
Lot and his Daughters, 1714-18?
Etching and engraving
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Inigo Jones
Ceilings at the home of Henry Pelham, and the King's House, Greenwich, 1727
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Inigo Jones
Chimney-Piece designs, 1727
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Inigo Jones
Rustic piers with niches, 1727
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Inigo Jones
Piers with columns, pilasters and niches, 1727
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Inigo Jones
Rustic gates designed by the Earl of Burlington and Inigo Jones, 1727
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Inigo Jones
Design for Temple-bar, in the manner of a Triumphal Arch, 1727
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Inigo Jones
Designs for Rustic Doors , 1727
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Inigo Jones
Design for doors with three-quarter columns , 1727
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Inigo Jones
Design for doors, 1727
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Inigo Jones
Venetian window designs, 1727
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Inigo Jones
Designs for windows, 1727
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Inigo Jones
Ceiling of the Whitehall Banqueting House, 1727
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Unknown artist
Portrait of a gentleman, ?early 18th century
Oil on canvas
Associated books
13 results
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James Thomson
The Seasons / by Mr. Thomson - London: [1730]
10/1174
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Alexander Pope
The works of Mr. Alexander Pope. Volume II. - London: 1735
10/1208
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The Plans, Elevations, And Sections; Chimney-Pieces, and Cielings of Houghton in Norfolk; The Seat of the Rt. Honourable Sr. Robert Walpole; First Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Knt. of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. - [1735]
06/4210
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The Designs Of Inigo Jones, Consisting of Plans and Elevations For Publick and Private Buildings. Published by William Kent, With some Additional Designs. The First Volume. (Second Volume.) - [London:]: [1727]
06/4174