Publication of the week: Dr Adriano Aymonino

Adriano Aymonino & Manolo Guerci, “The architectural transformation of Northumberland House under the 7th Duke of Somerset and the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, 1748-86”, The Antiquaries Journal 96 (2016), 315-61. DOI: 10.1017/S0003581516000676.

Northumberland House constituted one of the largest and most lavish aristocratic palaces of London between the 17th and the late 19th centuries. The refurbishment initiated by the 7th Duke and Duchess of Somerset in 1748, and completed by the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland (third creation) in the 1750s and 1760s, finished the process of shifting the public side of the house from the Strand to the river side. Never before fully investigated, this period is crucial in the long history of the house, as a large body of renowned craftsmen and builders (presented as supplementary material to the online edition of this paper) experimented with lavish interiors, which became a model for contemporary enterprises. In addition, Northumberland House acted as the showcase of the couple’s taste and patronage, as well as the venue for the private ‘Musaeum’ of the Duchess, within a larger remarkable collection, and probably functioned as a proto-academy for selected artists and connoisseurs.

The Antiquaries Journal is available in the University Library.

Dr Adriano Aymonino is co-ordinator of The University of Buckingham’s undergraduate Art History programme. Prior to joining the University in 2012, he held postdoctoral fellowships at the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art of Yale University in London and at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles.