Open the doors to a great treasure house. Kedleston Hall was designed to hold a dazzling collection of art and sculpture, but many more surprises await you.

Whet your appetite with these five highlights from the collection:

The Italian job

© NTPL / John Hammond

Three of the pictures in the Music Room were bought in Italy in 1758 for Sir Nathaniel Curzon, reflecting his taste for 17th-century Italian artists. 'The Triumph of Bacchus with Ariadne' by Luca Giordano has a suitably musical flavour, note the tambourines.

Paintings played a key part in Robert Adam's interior designs. View old masters spaciously arranged in plasterwork frames on the east side of the Hall. Wander over to the west side to take in the State Apartment portraits.

Take a seat

© NTPL / Nadia Mackenzie	The four gigantic sofas in the Drawing Room are one of the glories of Kedleston. They were made by the leading London firm of Linnell in 1765, based on an Adam design. Gilded merfolk rest on the arms, blending in with the room's maritime theme.

The architect Samuel Wyatt, Adam's Clerk of Works at Kedleston, described the sofas as ‘certainly as most elegant a piece of furniture as ever was made’. We think you’ll agree.

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Palms and plumes

© NTPL / Nadia Mackenzie	The great state bed in the State Bedchamber is a sight to behold. It was made in the late 1760s. The bed-posts are carved to resemble palm trees, popular at the time as symbols of fame and victory. The ostrich plumes which top the bed represent power. All in all, a stay in this bed was a massive compliment.

Rich pickings

© National Trust

This superb Rococo silver centrepiece to the dining-table in the Dining Room is called an epergne (literally ‘time-saver’). True to its name, it was used as a multi-purpose holder for condiments, candles and dessert fruit. French-style dining was à la mode in the 18th century, where all the dishes for each course would be placed on the table together.

It was bought by Sir Nathaniel in 1755 with prize money won by his horse, Jason. Hence the figure of the Greek hero Jason and the racing cup fixed to the top.

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All that glitters

© NTPL / Andreas von Einsiedel	This famous peacock dress was worn by Lady Curzon at the evening ball which followed the Delhi Durbar in 1903, the glittering highlight of her husband’s term as Viceroy of India. One guest wrote, 'You cannot conceive what a dream she looked'.

The dress was embroidered by Indian craftsmen with metal thread and jewels on gold cloth so it would glisten in a room lit by electricity. Admire this exquistite feat of needlework in the entrance to the Eastern Museum, which displays a collection of Asian objects acquired by Lord Curzon during his travels.