A centuries-old painting at Penshurst Place takes centre stage this spring as a new exhibition, ‘Who Are the Two Boys?’ opened on Saturday 28 March 2026. The exhibition invites visitors to help unravel the mystery surrounding the identity of the two teenage boys depicted in a rare early seventeenth-century double portrait, believed to date from 1626 and marking its 400-year anniversary in 2026.
The painting, which has hung among the historic collections at Penshurst Place for generations, has often prompted questions from visitors about who the two boys could be. That long-standing curiosity has inspired a major collaborative research project now underway with the National Portrait Gallery and supported by funding from Historic Houses and the Idlewild Trust.
Featuring two teenage sitters, one of African heritage, the portrait represents an exceptionally early and rare depiction of a Black figure in British art. While the original painting is undergoing conservation, analysis and research at the National Portrait Gallery in London, visitors to Penshurst Place will be able to study a life-sized reproduction displayed at eye level as part of an exhibition exploring the artwork’s mystery, significance and ongoing research journey.
Long believed to depict Charles I’s cousin Prince Rupert, closer examination has revealed that the identifying inscription on the painting was added at a later date, leaving the identities of both sitters unresolved. The exhibition invites visitors to engage with this unfolding investigation by examining visual clues within the artwork and discovering more about the historical context in which it was created.
Displayed within the Undercroft at Penshurst Place, the exhibition combines historical interpretation with insights into the conservation process, including technical imaging such as X-ray and infrared analysis. These studies are helping specialists to build a clearer understanding of the painting’s origins, context and meaning, while also providing important clues that may contribute to future identification of the sitters.
The original portrait will be on public display at the National Portrait Gallery from September 2026 until March 2028. Meanwhile, the detailed reproduction at Penshurst Place offers the first opportunity for visitors to engage closely with the painting’s evolving story while the research and conservation work continues.
Dr Michael Ohajuru, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, said: “The Penshurst Double Portrait challenges convention: a Black figure appears equal in scale and presence to the white sitter, raising important questions about status, identity and representation.”
Dr Charlotte Bolland, Senior Curator of Research and Sixteenth-Century Collections at the National Portrait Gallery, said: “The National Portrait Gallery is delighted to be able to partner with the Sidney family at Penshurst Place to research this important portrait, and to work together to discover more about the boys’ lives in early seventeenth-century England.”
Dr The Hon Philip Sidney, heir to Penshurst Place, said: “We as a family and the whole team at Penshurst are very excited to be able to make this extraordinary painting more widely known. It’s a fascinating portrait and we hope visitors will enjoy joining us on the journey of finding out more about the two boys.”
The exhibition will also place the artwork within the wider context of early modern portraiture in seventeenth-century Britain. Alongside interpretation boards explaining the painting’s historical significance, family-friendly activities will encourage younger visitors to take part in the discovery journey by creating their own responses to the artwork.
The exhibition opened to the public on 28 March 2026 and is included with house admission to Penshurst Place and Gardens. Visitors will be able to encounter the life-sized reproduction of the portrait at close quarters while following the unfolding story of its conservation and research. The display forms part of a wider collaborative investigation led in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery, with funding support from heritage organisations Historic Houses and the Idlewild Trust.
About Penshurst Place:
Penshurst Place is a historic medieval manor house, with its Baron’s Hall dating from 1341. Set within a 2,500-acre estate in the Weald of Kent, the house has been home to the Sidney family since the sixteenth century and is surrounded by 11 acres of Grade I-listed Elizabethan gardens.
Visitor information:
Penshurst Place and Gardens is open daily from 28 March to 1 November 2026. Further details are available at www.penshurstplace.com.
