Uniquely the house was designed around the art collection acquired (a few works were commissioned) by Thomas Coke 1st Earl of Leicester during his Grand Tour of Italy during 1712–18. To complete the scheme it was necessary to send Matthew Brettingham the younger to Rome between 1747–54 to purchase further works of art.
The design of the house was a collaborative effort between Thomas Coke, Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and William Kent, with Matthew Brettingham the elder acting as the on site architect. The house was built between 1736–1764, with work on the interiors only completed in 1771. By 1769 all the men had died, this left Thomas's widow, Lady Margaret Tufton, Countess of Leicester, (1700–1775) to oversee the completion of the House, their only child to survive infancy, Lord Edward had died without issue in 1753.
The house is designed with a corps de logis containing the state rooms on the first floor piano nobile, surrounded by four wings: to the south-west the family wing, to the north-west the guest wing, to south-east the chapel wing and to the north-east the kitchen wing. With all the intervening doors open it is possible to stand in the Long Library and look down the full length of the southern State Rooms and see the east window of the Chapel in the opposing wing the full 344 feet (105 m) length of the House. The family wing is a self contained residence, meant for daily living.
The Marble Hall is in the centre of the north front, to its west is the North Dining Room (also called the State Dining Room), then along the west side of the corps de logis is the Statue Gallery, to its east on the south front is the Drawing Room, then the Saloon, South Dining Room, Landscape Room north of which on the east side of the corps de logis is the Green State Bedroom, Green State Dressing Room, North State Dressing Room, The North State Bedroom, and finally to the west the State Sitting Room with the Marble Hall to its west.
Much thought went into the placing of sculptures and paintings, involving subtle connections and contrasts in the mythological and historical characters and stories depicted. The state rooms were designed with symmetrical arrangements of doors, windows and fireplaces, this meant that some walls have false doors to balance real doors. This need for balance and harmony extended to the placing of sculpture, paintings and furniture. Each art work being balanced by a piece of similar size though sometimes of contrasting subject matter. Examples are the two paintings commissioned by Thomas Coke above the fireplaces in the Saloon, Tarquin Raping Lucretia & Perseus and Andromeda, in the first painting a man the last king of Rome is violating a woman, in the second painting a man is rescuing a woman from being killed. The result of the rape of Lucretia is the overthrow of a Tyrant, the rescue of Andromeda results in Perseus becoming a king. Other connections are the sculptures in the two Exedras of the Statue Gallery, in the southern are two satyrs, symbols of ungoverned passion and lust, opposite are Athena virgin, goddess of wisdom and Ceres the preserver of marriage and sacred law. In the Landscape Room it is possible to go from looking at the paintings to looking through the window at a real Landscape garden, one influenced by the images on the walls.
The works collected in Italy include: sculpture, paintings, mosaics, books, manuscripts and old master drawings (most of which have been sold). The books included one of Leonardo da Vinci's note books now known as the Codex Leicester which was sold from the collection in 1980.
Sculpture
The collection of 60 Ancient Roman marble sculptures is amongst the finest in any private collection in the world. The collection consists of both life size and greater than life size statues and busts that include, several of the Twelve Olympians, characters from Greek mythology, ancient Greek philosophers and ancient Romans of the imperial era, plus other sculptures. Most have been repaired to varying extents. The full length statues are mainly displayed in the Statue Gallery along with busts which are also to be found through out the State Rooms.
Matthew Brettingham the Younger dispatched the first consignment of sculptures from Rome in 1749, due to the difficulty in getting permission from the Papal authorities to export the sculpture of Isis the second consignment was not dispatched until 1751. After which sculptures were export annually until the last shipment in the summer of 1754.
Among the finest of the works are:
The bust of Thucydides dated 100-120 A.D., of Carrara marble 79.5 cm high, purchased by Matthew Brettingham. With only minor repairs this is one of the finest busts of the era to survive. This powerful characterisation presents the historian in late middle age with a strong-boned squarish face with a high broad forehead. Receding temples and bald patch. There are three furrows on the brow make this a convincing portrait.
The goddess Artemis/Diana dated to 190-200 AD, this is believed to be a copy of a mid 4th century B.C. Hellenistic original, with only minor repairs. Purchase in Rome by Thomas Coke on 13 April 1717 for 900 crowns (about £250) Thomas's most expensive purchase. The marble statue is 1.86 metres high, shown wearing a peplos, holding a bow in the left hand, the right hand is reaching for an arrow held in a quiver on the sculpture's back.
Marsyas dated to 180-190 AD, probably a copy of a 2nd century B.C. Greek statue. Originally owned by Cardinal Annibale Albani it was purchased by Matthew Brettingham. The marble statue is 2.01 metres in height. The bearded figure is naked, left elbow leaning on a tree stump, in a contrapposto stance, there is a lion skin knotted across its chest and hanging down the back. The right arm is bent upwards holding a cudgel.
The Empress Livia dated mid-1st century A.D., purchased for 300 crowns by Matthew Brettingham. Made from Parian marble 2.23 metres in height, the statue is contrapposto, dressed in a floor length chiton girt under the breasts, forming an apoptygma or overfold, with short sleeves. A cloak is pulled to the crown of the head and envelopes the lower body, crossing the left shoulder and drawn across the front of the body and is draped over the left forearm. In the left hand is held a bunch of wheat ears.
The god Poseidon/Neptune dated late 1st to early 2nd centuries A.D. is thought to be a copy of a Greek sculpture of the 1st half of the 2nd century B.C., purchased in Rome in 1752 by Matthew Brettingham for 800 crowns. Made from Parian marble, it is 1.73 metres high, the god is depicted naked, standing, the left leg is slightly bent and drawn back resting on the ball of the foot, the left hand holds onto a trident resting on the ground, the right arm is raised slightly. The head has thick curly hair and a beard.
Sculptures marked with an * were purchased by Thomas Coke on his Grand Tour, any marked # were purchased by Matthew Brettingham the younger.
The Roman statues include:
The Statue Gallery: the southern exedra: Satyrs one playing a flute# & one wearing a pigskin#, south of the fireplace: Meleager#, Marsyas# & Poseidon/Neptune#, above the fireplace: Apollo*, north of the fireplace: Dionysus/Bacchus#, Artemis/Diana* & Aphrodite/Venus#, the northern exedra: Athena/Minerva# and Demeter/Ceres#.
The North Tribune: Isis# repaired with a head from another statue, Livia#, statue repaired with a head of Lucius Verus* & unidentified man wearing a toga (purchased as Lucius Antonius)*.
The Marble Hall: in the niches of the apse: A statue repaired with a head of Septimus Severus# & a heavily restored statue of Julia Mamaea* with in the niches of the exedra an Ephebos restored as a Satyr# & a heavily restored Satyr playing cymbals*.
Private Rooms: Tyche/Fortuna# (purchased as Isis) and a torso of a draped male (purchased as Jupiter*, it was this statue that William Kent intended to restore and place in the centre of the stairs in the Marble Hall, thus placing the main god of Olympus at the literal centre of the House).
The Roman busts include depictions/portraits of:
The Marble Hall: On a half-column outside the door to the State Sitting Room is the bust of Roma dated 130-140 A.D., the head is of white marble mounted on a Post-Roman body of Rosso Antico marble (probably purchased in Rome by Edward Coke in 1737).
The Statue Gallery: Cybele* in the pediment above Apollo, flanking the northern exedra Lucius Cornelius Sulla# & Thucydides#, flanking the southern exedra Lucius Junius Brutus# & Pseudo-Seneca#, between the windows an unidentified man# and a woman# (these last two are not part of Thomas Coke's arrangement of the sculptures).
The North Tribune: Above the doors, Emperor Philip as a youth# & Faustina the Elder#.
The South Tribune: Above the doors and bookcases, Hadrian#, Julia Mamaea#, Julia di Tito#, Caesar Marcus Aurelius*, Gallienus# & Geta#.
The North Dining Room: In oval niches above the fireplaces Aelius Verus# & Juno#, flanking the apse Marcus Aurelius# & Caesar Geta#, these last two busts have white marble heads mounted on Post-Rome bodies of variegated marble.
The Saloon: Above the central door Hera/Juno#.
Private Rooms: Zeus/Jupiter*, Artemis (acquired c1737 origin unknown), Salonina#, Nerva*, Plato#, Caracalla#, Gordian III#, Maecenas# & a badly eroded male head possibly Greek, c400 B.C. acquired by the 5th Earl in 1955.
Other Roman sculptures include:
The Statue Gallery: Between Apollo and the fireplace an oval white marble relief of Julius Caesar# in profile, it is enclosed in an 18th century dark veined marble frame.
The South Vestibule: Flanking the north door, the Ash Altar of Caius Calpurnius Cognitus* 1st quarter of 1st century A.D. & the Cinerarium of Petronius Hedychrus* 1st quarter 2nd century A.D..
Private Rooms: Profile relief of Carneades#, A statuette of the Nile river god#, Sarcophagus of T. Flabius Hermetes#, Marble Oscillum# depicting a cavorting satyr, A Herma# & fragments of a sarcophagus decorated with sea-creatures*.
There are several sculptures dating from the Post-Roman era:
The Marble Hall: contains a series of plaster casts of eight sculptures, in the niches of the east wall: Apollo, Flora, Bacchus, Isis, in the niches of the west wall: Aphrodite, Hermes, St. Susanna & Capitoline Antinous, plus a plaster copy of Louis-François Roubiliac's marble bust of Thomas Coke above the door in the apse the original is part of his tomb in Tittleshall church, and on marble half-columns Francis Chantrey's marble busts of 'Coke of Norfolk' and a second one of Thomas Coke. There is a set of four white marble reliefs in the apse flanking the niches (added by 'Coke of Norfolk'): Thomas Banks's The Death of Germanicus, Richard Westmacott's Death of Socrates, Stoldo Lorenzi's Lorenzo I & Francis Chantrey's The Passing of the Reform Bill 1832 plus a marble plaque of two woodcock by Chantrey.
The Drawing Room: Marble copies of busts of Marcus Aurelius and Caracalla on the mantelpiece, and plaster busts of Faustina, Carneades, Pythagoras & Zeno above the doors.
The South Dining Room: Four plaster busts above the doors.
The South Vestible: consisting of a rectangular room beneath the Portico linked by five arches to a semicircular section beneath the Saloon, that has a large niche flanked by smaller ones each side of the north door, these use to house plaster casts of statues, to the west: Dancing Faun, Apollo Belvedere & Ganymede and to the east: Ptolemy, Meleager & The Venus des Belles Fesses. There also used to be busts on brackets between the piers of the arches: Cicero, Plato, Lysias & Seneca.
The Long Library: above the pedimented bookcases a marble bust of Alexander Pope and plaster copies of busts of Venus, Cybele & A Vestal Virgin.
The Classical Library: six plaster busts above the four bookcases and doors on the side walls.
Private Rooms: A series of 18th century marble copies of ancient busts, including: Homer & Alexander the Great. 'Coke of Norfolk' commissioned marble busts including: Napolean & Charles James Fox
The Corridor linking the Guest-Wing to the North Tribune: in niches flanking the bookcase and window, plaster casts of Venus de' Medici, A Camillus, Urania & Apollino (Medici Apollo).
[edit] Paintings
The present Earl has restored most of the paintings to the positions designed for them. Although three paintings are no longer in the collection, these are Titian's Venus and the Lute Player, sold in 1931 now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this has been replaced in the current hang in the South Dining Room by Melchior d'Hondecoeter's Bird painting, the Saloon originally had in the centre of the side walls Chiari's Continence of Scipio and Pietro da Cortona's Coriolanus, the Chiari was commissioned by Thomas Coke in Rome, their present whereabouts is unknown.
The Rubens and Van Dyke paintings originally hung in the centres of the side walls in the Drawing Room. These are now hung in the Saloon and are replaced in the Drawing Room by family portraits. The fact that the greater works of art were not originally hung in the Saloon, the main room of the state apartment suggests that the subject matter of the lost paintings was of prime importance to Thomas Coke's scheme.
The Continence of Scipio, depicts the return of a captured young woman to her fiancé by Scipio, having refused to accept her from his troops as a prize of war, and Coriolanus using his military victory as an excuse to fight democracy and his failure leading to his betrayal of Rome. Again like the paintings over the fireplaces in this room, these paintings contrast the use and abuse of power, in this case clemency versus betrayal.
The Drawing Room: contains eleven paintings, above the fireplace Pietro da Pietri's Madonna in Gloria, two works by Melchior d'Hondecoeter on the upper wall flanking the fireplace of fighting birds (These are allegories on William III of England's wars, each bird representing a European nation), lower left of the fireplace Gaspar Poussin's The Storm, lower right of the fireplace Claude Lorrain's Apollo flaying Marsyas & above the doors four landscapes by Jan Frans van Bloemen, in the centre of the east wall Jonathan Richardson's portrait of Thomas Coke 1st Earl of Leicester in the robes of the Order of the Bath & in the centre of the west wall Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger's portrait of Sir Edward Coke founder of the family's fortune.
The Saloon: contains eight paintings, in the centre of the west wall Peter Paul Rubens The Return of the Holy Family, in the centre of the east wall Anthony Van Dyck's Duc D’Arenburg on Horseback (purchased in Paris in 1718 by Thomas Coke on his way back to England from Italy), above the fireplaces works commissioned by Thomas Coke in Rome, Andrea Procaccini's Tarquin Raping Lucretia & Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari's Perseus and Andromeda, above the western doors two paintings by Carlo Maratta Woman Playing a Spinet and Jael Murdering Sisera and above the eastern doors Agostino Scilla's paintings of Summer and Winter.
The South Dining Room: contains eleven paintings, above the fireplace Thomas Gainsborough's portrait of Coke of Norfolk, upper left of the fireplace A Naked Venus in the style of Titian, upper right of the fireplace Melchior d'Hondecoeter's Bird painting, lower left and right of the fireplace two works by Gaspar Poussin's A Stormy Landscape & A classical landscape with reclining figures, in the centre of the east wall Guido Reni's Joseph and Potiphar's Wife (acquired by 'Coke of Norfolk' in 1773), above the eastern doors Cristoforo Roncalli's Pope Julius II after Raphael & Sir Peter Lely's portrait of Edmund Waller, in the centre of the west wall Pompeo Batoni's portrait of Coke of Norfolk while on his Grand Tour, above the western doors school of Holbein Sir Thomas More & School of Titian A Venetian Lady.
The Landscape Room: contains twenty two paintings, the hang is symmetrical, they are Luca Giordano's Saint John the Baptist Preaching upper painting above the chimneypiece, all the other paintings in the room are landscapes, five works by Gaspar Poussin, seven works by Claude Lorraine including Queen Esther approaching the palace of Ahasuerus, two works by Claude Joseph Vernet, one work by Salvator Rosa, two works by Andrea Locatelli, two works by Jan Frans van Bloemen, one work by Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi & one work by Domenico Zampieri.
The Green State Bedroom: contains five paintings all commissioned by Thomas Coke, above the fireplace Gavin Hamilton's Jupiter caressing Juno & above the four doors paintings by Francesco Zuccarelli depicting the seasons.
The Green State Dressing Room: includes: small scale works by Jacopo Bassano, Sebastiano Conca, Carlo Maratta & Gaspar van Wittel.
The North State Dressing Room: above the chimney piece Bastiano da Sangallo's copy of Michelangelo's destroyed cartoon of Florentines surprised by the Pisans while bathing, Procaccini's the venerable lawgiver Numa Pompilius giving law to Rome & Annibale Carracci's Galatea and Polyphemus
The North State Bedroom: Jonathan Richardson's portrait of Lady Margaret Tufton countess of Leicester & Edward Viscount Coke, Jonathan Richardson's portrait of Thomas Coke 1st Earl of Leicester & portrait of William Heveningham (he was Thomas Coke's grandfather).
The Chapel: the east wall above the altar Guido Reni's The Assumption of the Virgin flanked by Giovanni Battista Cipriani's paintings of St. Anne & St. Cecila, in the west gallery, Carlo Maratta's Virgin Holding a Book, 16th century Head of Christ by an unknown painter of the Milanese School, above the fireplace Giorgio Vasari's portrait of Pope Leo X, Bernardino Luini's Holy Family with St John the Baptist, Francesco Mazzuola's Penitent Magdalen, in the manner of van Dyke Archbishop Laud, the south wall Mattia Preti's The Adoration of the Magi, Andrea Sacchi's Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael, Giovanni Lanfranco's The Angel appearing to Joseph, on the north wall Carlo Maratta's The Virgin reading with St. John, Pietro da Cortona's A scriptural piece from the history of Jacob.
The Classical Library: above the fireplace Francesco Trevisani's 1717 portrait of Thomas Coke on his Grand Tour.
Lady Leicester's Sitting Room: Canaletto's View of the Palace of St Mark, Venice, with preparations for the Doge's Wedding in the overmantle & four views of Rome by Gaspar van Wittel.
The private rooms: contain many paintings, including Andrea Casali's portraits of Thomas Coke and his wife and Rosalba Carriera's portraits of Edward Viscount Coke and his wife Lady Mary Coke. In 1716 Thomas Coke commissioned Sebastiano Conca's The Elysian Fields, in which Coke is depicted as Orpheus.
The Guest Wing: Frans Snyder's Parrot, and works by Joshua Reynolds, Antony Van Dyck and Thomas Gainsborough.
The Kitchen: Unusually high up on the east wall is a large early 19th century portrait of a servant dressed in livery.
ld master drawings
Sadly most of the old master drawings have been sold, including: Raphael's Cartoon of the Virgin and Child with the Infant St John the Baptist, Bernini's Design for the Tomb of Cardinal Carlo Emanule Pio da Carpi, Pietro da Cortona's Christ on the Cross and Assembly of the Gods, Nicholas Poussin's View of the Tiber Valley and Wooded Landscape with River God Gathering Fruit, Guido Reni's Head of a Young Woman Looking Up, Jusepe de Ribera Adoration of the Shepherds, Frans Snyders Wild Boar at Bay, Paolo Veronese's Allegorical Female Figure Holding a Sceptre & Globe.
Books and manuscripts
Thomas Coke had purchased many books and manuscripts while on his Grand Tour, though he continued to purchase items after the Tour ended. In 1719 he bought the 'Codex Leicester', in 1721 several Greek manuscripts acquired via Consul Joseph Smith in Venice. He employed a Neapolitan called Domenico Ferrari as his librarian at Holkham on a salary of £100 per annum. He would purchase all the significant books on architecture published in England including, Giacomo Leoni's English translation of Palladio's books and Colen Campbell's Vitruvius Britannicus. Other architectural books include Leone Battista Alberti's De re aedificatoria (1452, Ten Books of Architecture) of which both an Italian edition of 1565 and an English edition of 1726 are to be found in the library as is Antoine Desgodetz's Les edifices antiques de Rome dessinés et mesurés très exactement (Paris 1682). Other interests of Coke covered were politics and music.
An extensive archive of material relating to the building of the House and the acquisition of the collections exists. Including letters from both Matthew Brettingham the elder, the executive architect and Baron Lovell (Thomas Coke's title before becoming Earl of Leicester), as well as several architectural plans and elevations showing various alternative designs including many drawings by William Kent. In 1761 Matthew Brettingham the elder published The Plans, Elevations and Sections, Of Holkham in Norfolk in which he down played the role of Kent in the design of the House. The 2nd edition of 1773 by Brettingham the Younger corrected the first edition and gave due weight to Lord Burlington's and Kent's roles in the design process. The correspondence with Matthew Brettingham the younger whilst he was in Italy is extensive, there was much discussion about potential purchases of art works, their cost, shipping and custom fees, also his account book survives with detailed entries for each art work purchased.
The Long Library: Contains 2,000 of the 10,500 books & manuscripts bought by Thomas Coke although 'Coke of Norfolk' also acquired several volumes when on his Grand Tour. All are bound in leather with gilt titles (the collection has around 15,000 books in total some of which are modern). The core of the library are books from and on Italy, especially the Renaissance.
The North Tribune: which houses around 300 of the largest books in the collection, elephant folio volumes which include architectural books of which the collection has several examples, including Italian editions of I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura.
The Classical Library: There are 700 titles, of which 209 are incunabula. Holkham Manuscript 311 is an illuminated manuscript of Virgil's Aeneid dated c1500 just one of many still in the collection. Many manuscripts have been sold from the collection including Holkham Manuscript 48 Dante's Divine Comedy, Italian 14th century, now in the Bodleian Library.
The Manuscript Library: Contains 558 literary, theological and legal manuscripts, dating from the 12th to 18th centuries. Including some that once belonged to Sir Edward Coke's, including ones related to the settlement of North America, Coke helped draft the charter of the Virginia Company. Other of his legal documents includes a 15th century copy of Magna Carter. There is also a collection of Civil War and Commonwealth pamphlets.
Additionally there is extensive book shelving in the attics.
The design of the house was a collaborative effort between Thomas Coke, Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and William Kent, with Matthew Brettingham the elder acting as the on site architect. The house was built between 1736–1764, with work on the interiors only completed in 1771. By 1769 all the men had died, this left Thomas's widow, Lady Margaret Tufton, Countess of Leicester, (1700–1775) to oversee the completion of the House, their only child to survive infancy, Lord Edward had died without issue in 1753.
The house is designed with a corps de logis containing the state rooms on the first floor piano nobile, surrounded by four wings: to the south-west the family wing, to the north-west the guest wing, to south-east the chapel wing and to the north-east the kitchen wing. With all the intervening doors open it is possible to stand in the Long Library and look down the full length of the southern State Rooms and see the east window of the Chapel in the opposing wing the full 344 feet (105 m) length of the House. The family wing is a self contained residence, meant for daily living.
The Marble Hall is in the centre of the north front, to its west is the North Dining Room (also called the State Dining Room), then along the west side of the corps de logis is the Statue Gallery, to its east on the south front is the Drawing Room, then the Saloon, South Dining Room, Landscape Room north of which on the east side of the corps de logis is the Green State Bedroom, Green State Dressing Room, North State Dressing Room, The North State Bedroom, and finally to the west the State Sitting Room with the Marble Hall to its west.
Much thought went into the placing of sculptures and paintings, involving subtle connections and contrasts in the mythological and historical characters and stories depicted. The state rooms were designed with symmetrical arrangements of doors, windows and fireplaces, this meant that some walls have false doors to balance real doors. This need for balance and harmony extended to the placing of sculpture, paintings and furniture. Each art work being balanced by a piece of similar size though sometimes of contrasting subject matter. Examples are the two paintings commissioned by Thomas Coke above the fireplaces in the Saloon, Tarquin Raping Lucretia & Perseus and Andromeda, in the first painting a man the last king of Rome is violating a woman, in the second painting a man is rescuing a woman from being killed. The result of the rape of Lucretia is the overthrow of a Tyrant, the rescue of Andromeda results in Perseus becoming a king. Other connections are the sculptures in the two Exedras of the Statue Gallery, in the southern are two satyrs, symbols of ungoverned passion and lust, opposite are Athena virgin, goddess of wisdom and Ceres the preserver of marriage and sacred law. In the Landscape Room it is possible to go from looking at the paintings to looking through the window at a real Landscape garden, one influenced by the images on the walls.
The works collected in Italy include: sculpture, paintings, mosaics, books, manuscripts and old master drawings (most of which have been sold). The books included one of Leonardo da Vinci's note books now known as the Codex Leicester which was sold from the collection in 1980.
Sculpture
The collection of 60 Ancient Roman marble sculptures is amongst the finest in any private collection in the world. The collection consists of both life size and greater than life size statues and busts that include, several of the Twelve Olympians, characters from Greek mythology, ancient Greek philosophers and ancient Romans of the imperial era, plus other sculptures. Most have been repaired to varying extents. The full length statues are mainly displayed in the Statue Gallery along with busts which are also to be found through out the State Rooms.
Matthew Brettingham the Younger dispatched the first consignment of sculptures from Rome in 1749, due to the difficulty in getting permission from the Papal authorities to export the sculpture of Isis the second consignment was not dispatched until 1751. After which sculptures were export annually until the last shipment in the summer of 1754.
Among the finest of the works are:
The bust of Thucydides dated 100-120 A.D., of Carrara marble 79.5 cm high, purchased by Matthew Brettingham. With only minor repairs this is one of the finest busts of the era to survive. This powerful characterisation presents the historian in late middle age with a strong-boned squarish face with a high broad forehead. Receding temples and bald patch. There are three furrows on the brow make this a convincing portrait.
The goddess Artemis/Diana dated to 190-200 AD, this is believed to be a copy of a mid 4th century B.C. Hellenistic original, with only minor repairs. Purchase in Rome by Thomas Coke on 13 April 1717 for 900 crowns (about £250) Thomas's most expensive purchase. The marble statue is 1.86 metres high, shown wearing a peplos, holding a bow in the left hand, the right hand is reaching for an arrow held in a quiver on the sculpture's back.
Marsyas dated to 180-190 AD, probably a copy of a 2nd century B.C. Greek statue. Originally owned by Cardinal Annibale Albani it was purchased by Matthew Brettingham. The marble statue is 2.01 metres in height. The bearded figure is naked, left elbow leaning on a tree stump, in a contrapposto stance, there is a lion skin knotted across its chest and hanging down the back. The right arm is bent upwards holding a cudgel.
The Empress Livia dated mid-1st century A.D., purchased for 300 crowns by Matthew Brettingham. Made from Parian marble 2.23 metres in height, the statue is contrapposto, dressed in a floor length chiton girt under the breasts, forming an apoptygma or overfold, with short sleeves. A cloak is pulled to the crown of the head and envelopes the lower body, crossing the left shoulder and drawn across the front of the body and is draped over the left forearm. In the left hand is held a bunch of wheat ears.
The god Poseidon/Neptune dated late 1st to early 2nd centuries A.D. is thought to be a copy of a Greek sculpture of the 1st half of the 2nd century B.C., purchased in Rome in 1752 by Matthew Brettingham for 800 crowns. Made from Parian marble, it is 1.73 metres high, the god is depicted naked, standing, the left leg is slightly bent and drawn back resting on the ball of the foot, the left hand holds onto a trident resting on the ground, the right arm is raised slightly. The head has thick curly hair and a beard.
Sculptures marked with an * were purchased by Thomas Coke on his Grand Tour, any marked # were purchased by Matthew Brettingham the younger.
The Roman statues include:
The Statue Gallery: the southern exedra: Satyrs one playing a flute# & one wearing a pigskin#, south of the fireplace: Meleager#, Marsyas# & Poseidon/Neptune#, above the fireplace: Apollo*, north of the fireplace: Dionysus/Bacchus#, Artemis/Diana* & Aphrodite/Venus#, the northern exedra: Athena/Minerva# and Demeter/Ceres#.
The North Tribune: Isis# repaired with a head from another statue, Livia#, statue repaired with a head of Lucius Verus* & unidentified man wearing a toga (purchased as Lucius Antonius)*.
The Marble Hall: in the niches of the apse: A statue repaired with a head of Septimus Severus# & a heavily restored statue of Julia Mamaea* with in the niches of the exedra an Ephebos restored as a Satyr# & a heavily restored Satyr playing cymbals*.
Private Rooms: Tyche/Fortuna# (purchased as Isis) and a torso of a draped male (purchased as Jupiter*, it was this statue that William Kent intended to restore and place in the centre of the stairs in the Marble Hall, thus placing the main god of Olympus at the literal centre of the House).
The Roman busts include depictions/portraits of:
The Marble Hall: On a half-column outside the door to the State Sitting Room is the bust of Roma dated 130-140 A.D., the head is of white marble mounted on a Post-Roman body of Rosso Antico marble (probably purchased in Rome by Edward Coke in 1737).
The Statue Gallery: Cybele* in the pediment above Apollo, flanking the northern exedra Lucius Cornelius Sulla# & Thucydides#, flanking the southern exedra Lucius Junius Brutus# & Pseudo-Seneca#, between the windows an unidentified man# and a woman# (these last two are not part of Thomas Coke's arrangement of the sculptures).
The North Tribune: Above the doors, Emperor Philip as a youth# & Faustina the Elder#.
The South Tribune: Above the doors and bookcases, Hadrian#, Julia Mamaea#, Julia di Tito#, Caesar Marcus Aurelius*, Gallienus# & Geta#.
The North Dining Room: In oval niches above the fireplaces Aelius Verus# & Juno#, flanking the apse Marcus Aurelius# & Caesar Geta#, these last two busts have white marble heads mounted on Post-Rome bodies of variegated marble.
The Saloon: Above the central door Hera/Juno#.
Private Rooms: Zeus/Jupiter*, Artemis (acquired c1737 origin unknown), Salonina#, Nerva*, Plato#, Caracalla#, Gordian III#, Maecenas# & a badly eroded male head possibly Greek, c400 B.C. acquired by the 5th Earl in 1955.
Other Roman sculptures include:
The Statue Gallery: Between Apollo and the fireplace an oval white marble relief of Julius Caesar# in profile, it is enclosed in an 18th century dark veined marble frame.
The South Vestibule: Flanking the north door, the Ash Altar of Caius Calpurnius Cognitus* 1st quarter of 1st century A.D. & the Cinerarium of Petronius Hedychrus* 1st quarter 2nd century A.D..
Private Rooms: Profile relief of Carneades#, A statuette of the Nile river god#, Sarcophagus of T. Flabius Hermetes#, Marble Oscillum# depicting a cavorting satyr, A Herma# & fragments of a sarcophagus decorated with sea-creatures*.
There are several sculptures dating from the Post-Roman era:
The Marble Hall: contains a series of plaster casts of eight sculptures, in the niches of the east wall: Apollo, Flora, Bacchus, Isis, in the niches of the west wall: Aphrodite, Hermes, St. Susanna & Capitoline Antinous, plus a plaster copy of Louis-François Roubiliac's marble bust of Thomas Coke above the door in the apse the original is part of his tomb in Tittleshall church, and on marble half-columns Francis Chantrey's marble busts of 'Coke of Norfolk' and a second one of Thomas Coke. There is a set of four white marble reliefs in the apse flanking the niches (added by 'Coke of Norfolk'): Thomas Banks's The Death of Germanicus, Richard Westmacott's Death of Socrates, Stoldo Lorenzi's Lorenzo I & Francis Chantrey's The Passing of the Reform Bill 1832 plus a marble plaque of two woodcock by Chantrey.
The Drawing Room: Marble copies of busts of Marcus Aurelius and Caracalla on the mantelpiece, and plaster busts of Faustina, Carneades, Pythagoras & Zeno above the doors.
The South Dining Room: Four plaster busts above the doors.
The South Vestible: consisting of a rectangular room beneath the Portico linked by five arches to a semicircular section beneath the Saloon, that has a large niche flanked by smaller ones each side of the north door, these use to house plaster casts of statues, to the west: Dancing Faun, Apollo Belvedere & Ganymede and to the east: Ptolemy, Meleager & The Venus des Belles Fesses. There also used to be busts on brackets between the piers of the arches: Cicero, Plato, Lysias & Seneca.
The Long Library: above the pedimented bookcases a marble bust of Alexander Pope and plaster copies of busts of Venus, Cybele & A Vestal Virgin.
The Classical Library: six plaster busts above the four bookcases and doors on the side walls.
Private Rooms: A series of 18th century marble copies of ancient busts, including: Homer & Alexander the Great. 'Coke of Norfolk' commissioned marble busts including: Napolean & Charles James Fox
The Corridor linking the Guest-Wing to the North Tribune: in niches flanking the bookcase and window, plaster casts of Venus de' Medici, A Camillus, Urania & Apollino (Medici Apollo).
[edit] Paintings
The present Earl has restored most of the paintings to the positions designed for them. Although three paintings are no longer in the collection, these are Titian's Venus and the Lute Player, sold in 1931 now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this has been replaced in the current hang in the South Dining Room by Melchior d'Hondecoeter's Bird painting, the Saloon originally had in the centre of the side walls Chiari's Continence of Scipio and Pietro da Cortona's Coriolanus, the Chiari was commissioned by Thomas Coke in Rome, their present whereabouts is unknown.
The Rubens and Van Dyke paintings originally hung in the centres of the side walls in the Drawing Room. These are now hung in the Saloon and are replaced in the Drawing Room by family portraits. The fact that the greater works of art were not originally hung in the Saloon, the main room of the state apartment suggests that the subject matter of the lost paintings was of prime importance to Thomas Coke's scheme.
The Continence of Scipio, depicts the return of a captured young woman to her fiancé by Scipio, having refused to accept her from his troops as a prize of war, and Coriolanus using his military victory as an excuse to fight democracy and his failure leading to his betrayal of Rome. Again like the paintings over the fireplaces in this room, these paintings contrast the use and abuse of power, in this case clemency versus betrayal.
The Drawing Room: contains eleven paintings, above the fireplace Pietro da Pietri's Madonna in Gloria, two works by Melchior d'Hondecoeter on the upper wall flanking the fireplace of fighting birds (These are allegories on William III of England's wars, each bird representing a European nation), lower left of the fireplace Gaspar Poussin's The Storm, lower right of the fireplace Claude Lorrain's Apollo flaying Marsyas & above the doors four landscapes by Jan Frans van Bloemen, in the centre of the east wall Jonathan Richardson's portrait of Thomas Coke 1st Earl of Leicester in the robes of the Order of the Bath & in the centre of the west wall Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger's portrait of Sir Edward Coke founder of the family's fortune.
The Saloon: contains eight paintings, in the centre of the west wall Peter Paul Rubens The Return of the Holy Family, in the centre of the east wall Anthony Van Dyck's Duc D’Arenburg on Horseback (purchased in Paris in 1718 by Thomas Coke on his way back to England from Italy), above the fireplaces works commissioned by Thomas Coke in Rome, Andrea Procaccini's Tarquin Raping Lucretia & Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari's Perseus and Andromeda, above the western doors two paintings by Carlo Maratta Woman Playing a Spinet and Jael Murdering Sisera and above the eastern doors Agostino Scilla's paintings of Summer and Winter.
The South Dining Room: contains eleven paintings, above the fireplace Thomas Gainsborough's portrait of Coke of Norfolk, upper left of the fireplace A Naked Venus in the style of Titian, upper right of the fireplace Melchior d'Hondecoeter's Bird painting, lower left and right of the fireplace two works by Gaspar Poussin's A Stormy Landscape & A classical landscape with reclining figures, in the centre of the east wall Guido Reni's Joseph and Potiphar's Wife (acquired by 'Coke of Norfolk' in 1773), above the eastern doors Cristoforo Roncalli's Pope Julius II after Raphael & Sir Peter Lely's portrait of Edmund Waller, in the centre of the west wall Pompeo Batoni's portrait of Coke of Norfolk while on his Grand Tour, above the western doors school of Holbein Sir Thomas More & School of Titian A Venetian Lady.
The Landscape Room: contains twenty two paintings, the hang is symmetrical, they are Luca Giordano's Saint John the Baptist Preaching upper painting above the chimneypiece, all the other paintings in the room are landscapes, five works by Gaspar Poussin, seven works by Claude Lorraine including Queen Esther approaching the palace of Ahasuerus, two works by Claude Joseph Vernet, one work by Salvator Rosa, two works by Andrea Locatelli, two works by Jan Frans van Bloemen, one work by Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi & one work by Domenico Zampieri.
The Green State Bedroom: contains five paintings all commissioned by Thomas Coke, above the fireplace Gavin Hamilton's Jupiter caressing Juno & above the four doors paintings by Francesco Zuccarelli depicting the seasons.
The Green State Dressing Room: includes: small scale works by Jacopo Bassano, Sebastiano Conca, Carlo Maratta & Gaspar van Wittel.
The North State Dressing Room: above the chimney piece Bastiano da Sangallo's copy of Michelangelo's destroyed cartoon of Florentines surprised by the Pisans while bathing, Procaccini's the venerable lawgiver Numa Pompilius giving law to Rome & Annibale Carracci's Galatea and Polyphemus
The North State Bedroom: Jonathan Richardson's portrait of Lady Margaret Tufton countess of Leicester & Edward Viscount Coke, Jonathan Richardson's portrait of Thomas Coke 1st Earl of Leicester & portrait of William Heveningham (he was Thomas Coke's grandfather).
The Chapel: the east wall above the altar Guido Reni's The Assumption of the Virgin flanked by Giovanni Battista Cipriani's paintings of St. Anne & St. Cecila, in the west gallery, Carlo Maratta's Virgin Holding a Book, 16th century Head of Christ by an unknown painter of the Milanese School, above the fireplace Giorgio Vasari's portrait of Pope Leo X, Bernardino Luini's Holy Family with St John the Baptist, Francesco Mazzuola's Penitent Magdalen, in the manner of van Dyke Archbishop Laud, the south wall Mattia Preti's The Adoration of the Magi, Andrea Sacchi's Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael, Giovanni Lanfranco's The Angel appearing to Joseph, on the north wall Carlo Maratta's The Virgin reading with St. John, Pietro da Cortona's A scriptural piece from the history of Jacob.
The Classical Library: above the fireplace Francesco Trevisani's 1717 portrait of Thomas Coke on his Grand Tour.
Lady Leicester's Sitting Room: Canaletto's View of the Palace of St Mark, Venice, with preparations for the Doge's Wedding in the overmantle & four views of Rome by Gaspar van Wittel.
The private rooms: contain many paintings, including Andrea Casali's portraits of Thomas Coke and his wife and Rosalba Carriera's portraits of Edward Viscount Coke and his wife Lady Mary Coke. In 1716 Thomas Coke commissioned Sebastiano Conca's The Elysian Fields, in which Coke is depicted as Orpheus.
The Guest Wing: Frans Snyder's Parrot, and works by Joshua Reynolds, Antony Van Dyck and Thomas Gainsborough.
The Kitchen: Unusually high up on the east wall is a large early 19th century portrait of a servant dressed in livery.
ld master drawings
Sadly most of the old master drawings have been sold, including: Raphael's Cartoon of the Virgin and Child with the Infant St John the Baptist, Bernini's Design for the Tomb of Cardinal Carlo Emanule Pio da Carpi, Pietro da Cortona's Christ on the Cross and Assembly of the Gods, Nicholas Poussin's View of the Tiber Valley and Wooded Landscape with River God Gathering Fruit, Guido Reni's Head of a Young Woman Looking Up, Jusepe de Ribera Adoration of the Shepherds, Frans Snyders Wild Boar at Bay, Paolo Veronese's Allegorical Female Figure Holding a Sceptre & Globe.
Books and manuscripts
Thomas Coke had purchased many books and manuscripts while on his Grand Tour, though he continued to purchase items after the Tour ended. In 1719 he bought the 'Codex Leicester', in 1721 several Greek manuscripts acquired via Consul Joseph Smith in Venice. He employed a Neapolitan called Domenico Ferrari as his librarian at Holkham on a salary of £100 per annum. He would purchase all the significant books on architecture published in England including, Giacomo Leoni's English translation of Palladio's books and Colen Campbell's Vitruvius Britannicus. Other architectural books include Leone Battista Alberti's De re aedificatoria (1452, Ten Books of Architecture) of which both an Italian edition of 1565 and an English edition of 1726 are to be found in the library as is Antoine Desgodetz's Les edifices antiques de Rome dessinés et mesurés très exactement (Paris 1682). Other interests of Coke covered were politics and music.
An extensive archive of material relating to the building of the House and the acquisition of the collections exists. Including letters from both Matthew Brettingham the elder, the executive architect and Baron Lovell (Thomas Coke's title before becoming Earl of Leicester), as well as several architectural plans and elevations showing various alternative designs including many drawings by William Kent. In 1761 Matthew Brettingham the elder published The Plans, Elevations and Sections, Of Holkham in Norfolk in which he down played the role of Kent in the design of the House. The 2nd edition of 1773 by Brettingham the Younger corrected the first edition and gave due weight to Lord Burlington's and Kent's roles in the design process. The correspondence with Matthew Brettingham the younger whilst he was in Italy is extensive, there was much discussion about potential purchases of art works, their cost, shipping and custom fees, also his account book survives with detailed entries for each art work purchased.
The Long Library: Contains 2,000 of the 10,500 books & manuscripts bought by Thomas Coke although 'Coke of Norfolk' also acquired several volumes when on his Grand Tour. All are bound in leather with gilt titles (the collection has around 15,000 books in total some of which are modern). The core of the library are books from and on Italy, especially the Renaissance.
The North Tribune: which houses around 300 of the largest books in the collection, elephant folio volumes which include architectural books of which the collection has several examples, including Italian editions of I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura.
The Classical Library: There are 700 titles, of which 209 are incunabula. Holkham Manuscript 311 is an illuminated manuscript of Virgil's Aeneid dated c1500 just one of many still in the collection. Many manuscripts have been sold from the collection including Holkham Manuscript 48 Dante's Divine Comedy, Italian 14th century, now in the Bodleian Library.
The Manuscript Library: Contains 558 literary, theological and legal manuscripts, dating from the 12th to 18th centuries. Including some that once belonged to Sir Edward Coke's, including ones related to the settlement of North America, Coke helped draft the charter of the Virginia Company. Other of his legal documents includes a 15th century copy of Magna Carter. There is also a collection of Civil War and Commonwealth pamphlets.
Additionally there is extensive book shelving in the attics.
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