The Leighton House Museum is an art museum in the

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road to ...

area of the

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an Inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the ...

in west London. The building was the London home of painter

Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subjec ...

(1830–1896), who commissioned the architect and designer George Aitchison to build him a combined home and studio noted for its incorporation of tiles and other elements purchased in the Near East to build a magnificent Qa'a (room). The resulting building, completed between 1866 and 1895 on the privately owned Ilchester Estate, is now

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

listed. It is noted for its elaborate Orientalist and

aesthetic Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

interiors.

The house

The museum has been open to the public since 1929. In 1958 the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...

commemorated Leighton with a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term ...

at the museum. The museum was awarded the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award in 2012. It is open daily except Tuesdays, and is a companion museum to

18 Stafford Terrace 18 Stafford Terrace, formerly known as Linley Sambourne House, now renamed to Sambourne House, was the home of the ''Punch'' illustrator Edward Linley Sambourne (1844–1910) in Kensington, London. The house, now Grade II* listed, is currentl ...

, another Victorian artist's home in Kensington.

Design and construction

Leighton House, Holland Park Road, London PP0827 KK01

Leighton House, Holland Park Road, London PP0820 KK01

Aitchison designed the first part of the house (2 Holland Park Road, later renumbered as 12) in 1864, although Leighton was not granted a lease on the land until April 1866. Building commenced shortly afterwards, and the house, which cost £4500, , was ready for occupation by the end of the year. The building is of red Suffolk bricks with

Caen Stone Caen stone (french: Pierre de Caen) is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in north-western France near the city of Caen. The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about ...

dressings in a restrained Classical style. The architect extended the building over 30 years; the first phase was only three windows wide. The main room was the first floor studio, facing north, originally 45 by 25 feet, with a large central window to provide plenty of light for painting. There was also a gallery at the east end and a separate staircase for use by models. The house was extended to the east in 1869-70. Additionally, a major extension was made in 1877-79: the two-storey "Arab Hall", built to house Leighton's collection of tiles collected during visits to the Middle East. According to Aitchison and

Walter Crane Walter Crane (15 August 184514 March 1915) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered to be the most influential, and among the most prolific, children's book creators of his generation and, along with Randolph Caldecott and Ka ...

, the design was based on the palace of La Zisa in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

. The 17th-century tiles are complemented by carved wooden lattice-work windows of the same period from

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

. There are also large 16th-century Turkish tiles. The west wall has a wooden alcove with inset 14th-century tiles. The room also contains Victorian elements. The capitals of the smaller columns are by Sir

Joseph Boehm Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, 1st Baronet, (6 July 1834 – 12 December 1890) was an Austrian-born British medallist and sculptor, best known for the " Jubilee head" of Queen Victoria on coinage, and the statue of the Duke of Wellington at Hyde Par ...

, from Aitchison's designs. The capitals of the large columns, gilded and carved in the shape of birds, are by Randolph Caldecot. The mosaic frieze was designed by

. The marble work was by George P. White. Elaborate decorative paintwork adorns the domed ceiling and in the centre of the floor there is a fountain. The tiles in the passage to the Arab Hall are by William De Morgan. In 1889 an additional winter studio was added to the building. The final addition by Aitchison was the top-lit picture gallery in 1895. After Leighton died in 1896, the contents of the house were sold, including at least one thousand of his own drawings, almost all of which were bought by the

Fine Art Society The Fine Art Society is a gallery based in both London and in Edinburgh's New Town (originally Bourne Fine Art, established 1978). The New Bond Street, London gallery closed its doors in August 2018 after being occupied by The Fine Art Society si ...

. In 1927 Mrs Henry Perrin offered to pay for additional gallery space. The building was extended to the designs of

Halsey Ricardo Halsey Ralph Ricardo (1854–1928) was an English architect and designer. He established his practice in 1878, and for 10 years worked in partnership with William De Morgan (1839–1917), for whom he designed tiles, vases, and other artefacts. ...

and the Perrin Galleries opened in 1929. This extension was in memory of Mrs Perrin's daughter Muriel Ida Perrin, an artist and sculptor who had trained at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It ...

and worked for the catalogue section of the Aircraft Manufacturing Company (

Airco The Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited (Airco) was an early British aircraft manufacturer. Established during 1912, it grew rapidly during the First World War, referring to itself as the largest aircraft company in the world by 1918. Ai ...

) during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Permanent collection

The museum has on permanent display works of art by various members of the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, Jame ...

, including

John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest ...

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman ...

and George Frederic Watts, as well as 81 oil paintings by Leighton himself. Some of the most notable oil paintings by Leighton in the collection are: * ''The Death of Brunelleschi'' – 1852 * ''Charles Edward Perugini'' – 1855 * ''A Noble Lady of Venice'' – c. 1865 * ''Hercules Wrestling with Death for the Body of Alcestes'' – 1869–1871 * ''Clytemnestra from the Battlements of Argos Watches for the Beacon Fires Which Are to Announce the Return of Agamemnon'' – c. 1874 * ''Professor Giovanni Costa'' – 1878 * ''The Countess of Brownlow'' – c. 1878–79 * ''The Vestal'' – c. 1882–83 * ''Alexandra Sutherland Orr'' (née Leighton) – 1890 * ''And the sea gave up the dead which were in it'' – c. 1891–92 1880 Frederic Leighton - Self portrait

Other works by Leighton in the collection include: * 5 albums and sketchbooks of drawings and watercolours. * 27 watercolours. * 54 prints of Leighton's works. * 14 items of personal material including documents, personal mementos, embroideries, enamels and caricatures. * several small-scale sculptures, including ''

Athlete Strangling a Python ''An Athlete Wrestling with a Python'' was the first of three bronze sculptures produced by the British artist Frederic Leighton. Completed in 1877, the sculpture was a departure for Leighton, and heralded the advent of a new movement, New ...

'' (1874) and ''Needless Alarms'' (1887). * a portrait of

Anna Risi Anna Risi (1839 – 1900), nicknamed Nanna, was a popular Italian art model. She was a muse and mistress of German painter Anselm Feuerbach, who admired her beauty so much that he painted her at least twenty times. Biography Risi was married to ...

Works in the collection not by Leighton include: *

Antonio Rossellino Antonio Gamberelli (1427–1479), Janson, H.W. (1995) ''History of Art''. 5th edn. Revised and expanded by Anthony F. Janson. London: Thames & Hudson, p. 465. nicknamed Antonio Rossellino for the colour of his hair, was an Italian Renaissance ...

's carved and coloured

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

''Madonna of the Candleabra'', which had been in Leighton's collection, sold after his death and re-acquired by the Museum in 2006. *

G. F. Watts George Frederic Watts (23 February 1817, in London – 1 July 1904) was a British painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. He said "I paint ideas, not things." Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical work ...

's portrait of Frederic Leighton. *

Luke Fildes __NOTOC__ Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (3 October 1843 – 28 February 1927) was a British painter and illustrator born in Liverpool and trained at the South Kensington and Royal Academy Schools. He was the grandson of the political activist ...

's still life and study for ''The Widower''. * Sir Alfred Gilbert's original sketch model for

Eros In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the ear ...

. In 2016 Leighton's famous painting ''

Flaming June ''Flaming June'' is a painting by Sir Frederic Leighton, produced in 1895. Painted with oil paints on a square canvas, it is widely considered to be Leighton's magnum opus, showing his classicist nature. It is thought that the woman portrayed ...

'' was loaned to the Museum, and was displayed in the studio in which it was created.

Works in the permanent collection

File:Frederic Leighton - A Boy Defending a Baby from an Eagle.jpg, A Boy Defending a Baby from an Eagle, by Leighton, 1850-52, acquired by the museum prior to 1926 File:Frederic Leighton - Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna (color sketch).jpg, Oil Sketch for Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna, 1854, by Leighton, acquired by the museum 2011 File:Frederic Leighton-Orfeo ed Euridice-1864.jpg, Orpheus & Eurydice, by Leighton, 1864, acquired by the museum 1960 File:Desdemona (Othello) by Frederic Leighton.jpg, Study for Desdemona, by Leighton, c.1888, presented to the museum 1947 File:Leighton, Frederic - Clytie - 1895–1896.jpg, Clytie, by Leighton his final work, 1895-96, acquired by the museum 2008

Council arts strategy

The building is run by

Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council is the local authority for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Kensington and Chel ...

. In 2009

Nicholas Paget-Brown Nicholas Paget-Brown (born 1957) is an English Conservative politician who was leader of the Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council. He was first elected as a councillor for Hans Town on 8 May 1986. He became leader of the council on 23 May ...

launched the Cultural Placemaking initiative as part of the Council's Arts and Culture Policy. He explained that the plan was to build on the work of Opera Holland Park and Leighton House Museum to develop a broader coherent strategy to encourage developers to consider the Council's creative and artistic ambitions when working on a development project.

In popular culture

The house's pseudo-Islamic court has featured as a set in various film and television programs, such as ''

Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...

'' (2002), ''

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

'' (1985) and an episode of the drama series '' Spooks'', as well as the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

for the songs " Golden Brown" by

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origin ...

and "Gold" by

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...

References

Sources

* *

External links

Leighton House Museum
at the

website {{authority control 1929 establishments in England Art museums and galleries in London Art museums established in 1929 Artists' studios in London Biographical museums in London Decorative arts museums in England Grade II* listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Grade II* listed houses in London Grade II* listed museum buildings Historic house museums in London Holland Park Houses in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Museums in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Museums devoted to one artist Moorish Revival architecture in the United Kingdom History of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea