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One of my favourite characters in history is Sir John Soane RA who was born today in 1753 in Goring-on-Thames in England.
The son of a bricklayer, Soane was educated in Reading and trained as an architect. He won the Royal Academy’s silver medal in 1772, its gold medal in 1776 and a travelling scholarship in 1777 which he spent in Italy. After unsuccessfully seeking work in Ireland, Soane returned to England in 1780 and established his own architectural practice.
His work remodelling and designing country homes in the neo-classical style for the rich turned out to be extremely lucrative. Among his most notable works are the dining rooms of Numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street, the Dulwich Picture Gallery and, after being appointed architect to the Bank of England in 1788, its exterior (most of which was later rebuilt). His work for the Bank increased his success and in 1802 he became a Royal Academician and in 1806 Professor of Architecture there, a post which he held until his death, by then a widower, in 1837. In 1831 he was knighted.
It is for Soane’s London home that he is perhaps most remembered today for he turned it into a museum housing a vast collection of antiquities which he acquired over the years; a collection far exceeding anything by any other antiquarians of his time.
In 1792 Soane bought number 12 Lincoln's Inn Fields. Between 1794 and 1824 he remodelled and extended the house into the two adjacent properties so as to house his growing collection of antiquities. Over the years he bought the sarcophagus of Seti I, Roman bronzes from Pompeii, several Canalettos and a collection of paintings by Hogarth. Soane was happy to show friends and other visitors around his house which by the time of his death was extremely crowded. In 1833, he bequeathed the house and collection to the British nation as a museum of architecture, now the Sir John Soane's Museum.
The Soane Museum is surely one of the lesser known museums in London but it is the one I always recommend to overseas visitors. The amount of ‘stuff’ in this small museum has to be seen to be believed. In addition to a collection of sculptures, there are around 30,000 architectural drawings, architectural models, fifteen Piranesi sketches, three Canaletto’s and twelve original works by Hogarth - eight of A Rake’s Progress and four of his Humours of an Election.
For me, the most amazing item in the whole collection is the intrically-decorated alabaster sarcophagus of the Pharaoh Seti I which is housed in the basement in what Soane called the Sepulchral Chamber. Seti reigned around 1294 BC and his tomb was discovered by Belzoni in the Valley of the Kings in 1817. His empty sarcophagus was bought to London in 1824 and offered to the British Museum for £2,000. When they refused it, Soane acquired it and held a three-day party to celebrate its addition to his collection.
So next time you visit London, be sure to pay a visit to the Soane Museum!
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One of my favourite characters in history is Sir John Soane RA who was born today in 1753 in Goring-on-Thames in England.
The son of a bricklayer, Soane was educated in Reading and trained as an architect. He won the Royal Academy’s silver medal in 1772, its gold medal in 1776 and a travelling scholarship in 1777 which he spent in Italy. After unsuccessfully seeking work in Ireland, Soane returned to England in 1780 and established his own architectural practice.
His work remodelling and designing country homes in the neo-classical style for the rich turned out to be extremely lucrative. Among his most notable works are the dining rooms of Numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street, the Dulwich Picture Gallery and, after being appointed architect to the Bank of England in 1788, its exterior (most of which was later rebuilt). His work for the Bank increased his success and in 1802 he became a Royal Academician and in 1806 Professor of Architecture there, a post which he held until his death, by then a widower, in 1837. In 1831 he was knighted.
It is for Soane’s London home that he is perhaps most remembered today for he turned it into a museum housing a vast collection of antiquities which he acquired over the years; a collection far exceeding anything by any other antiquarians of his time.
In 1792 Soane bought number 12 Lincoln's Inn Fields. Between 1794 and 1824 he remodelled and extended the house into the two adjacent properties so as to house his growing collection of antiquities. Over the years he bought the sarcophagus of Seti I, Roman bronzes from Pompeii, several Canalettos and a collection of paintings by Hogarth. Soane was happy to show friends and other visitors around his house which by the time of his death was extremely crowded. In 1833, he bequeathed the house and collection to the British nation as a museum of architecture, now the Sir John Soane's Museum.
The Soane Museum is surely one of the lesser known museums in London but it is the one I always recommend to overseas visitors. The amount of ‘stuff’ in this small museum has to be seen to be believed. In addition to a collection of sculptures, there are around 30,000 architectural drawings, architectural models, fifteen Piranesi sketches, three Canaletto’s and twelve original works by Hogarth - eight of A Rake’s Progress and four of his Humours of an Election.
For me, the most amazing item in the whole collection is the intrically-decorated alabaster sarcophagus of the Pharaoh Seti I which is housed in the basement in what Soane called the Sepulchral Chamber. Seti reigned around 1294 BC and his tomb was discovered by Belzoni in the Valley of the Kings in 1817. His empty sarcophagus was bought to London in 1824 and offered to the British Museum for £2,000. When they refused it, Soane acquired it and held a three-day party to celebrate its addition to his collection.
So next time you visit London, be sure to pay a visit to the Soane Museum!
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