Of all the houses open to the public that circle London’s outskirts, Kenwood is the most perfectly sited. At the northern edge of Hampstead Heath, it is famous for its backdrop of woods, lawns sloping down to its lake and the view from the terrace along its south front. It is famous too for Robert Adam’s remodelling and enlargement of the exterior and his suite of rooms inside that includes the exquisite library. Its third claim to fame is, of course, as the home of the Iveagh Bequest of old-master paintings (and, more recently, the Suffolk Collection of English portraits).

For the first time since the exhibition held at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in 1935, European students of Chinese art were afforded the thrill of standing before the works through which they learnt that history at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s landmark exhibition Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700–1900 (closed 19th January). The exhibition was indeed one of masterpieces, displaying great works from the Tang (618–906), Song (906–1279), Yuan (1279–1368), Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties that have been reference points in the history of painting in China for centuries, and can be readily enjoyed as such. Yet the exhibition was far more than a series of highlights illustrating a much-told story. It was rather a re-telling that incorporated the traditional version within an innovative contextual presentation that encompassed function, genre, materiality, collecting and engagement with cultures beyond China itself.