By: Briana Muller, Spring 2020 London Correspondent
What was once known as John Soane’s house, is now turned into Sir John Soane’s Museum located in London. Soane was an English architect that specialized in Georgian architecture. He is notable for his original, highly personal interpretations of the Neoclassical style. He Soane is considered one of the most inventive European architects of his time. He was also a passionate educator, elected as a Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy in 1806. This provided him the initial motivation to collect. He states that upon his appointment, “I began to arrange the books, casts, and models, in order that the students might have the benefit of easy access to them.” By the end of his life, Soane had assembled thousands of objects. This was a much smaller museum, but the amount of historic pieces made up for it.
This museum had extraordinary collections, including antiquities, furniture, sculptures, architectural models and drawings, and paintings including work by Hogarth, Turner and Canaletto. There were different themed rooms and one of my personal favorites was the Sarcophagus of the Egyptian Pharaoh Seti I. It was located in the basement, where the sarcophagus contained his coffin and mummy. Seti I ruled Egypt at a time when it was an important military power. The sarcophagus was the most expensive object purchased by Soane, and it was his most highly prized possession. Soane held three evening receptions at the Museum after acquiring the sarcophagus, to celebrate its arrival, attended by some of the leading figures in British art and society. The sarcophagus is carved from a pearly translucent stone that was highly valued by the Egyptians. Across its surface, are carved in hieroglyphs known today as the Book of the Gates, a series of spells and rituals that the dead pharaoh would need to safely pass through the underworld and reach the afterlife. Inside, is the elegantly-drawn figure of Nut, goddess of the sky, whose role was to guide and protect the dead. I felt very honored to be in this room.
Lastly, my other favorite room was Understanding Architectural Drawing. This selection of 22 drawings explains what these drawings were for and how they were made. All the drawings shown were either those made by Soane and his assistants and pupils, or the work of other architects which Soane collected. He had one of the very best collections of drawings put together by an architect, which he used for his own work and to instruct the pupils and assistants in his office. I saw what it was like to work in Soane’s office, where it was and how the pupils and assistants were expected to reach it. I also saw four main types of architectural drawings: elevation, plan, section and perspective. I definitely learned a lot more than I expected and could not stop thinking about the style of buildings in London after walking by them.
I had the chance to visit his museum before it closed from COVID-19, and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to see his beautiful work. Soane left his house, together with his collections, to the nation as a Museum, which is why you should visit it someday. Some of Soane’s buildings that he designed in London can still be seen today such as the Pitzhanger Manor House & Gallery, Moggerhanger Park, Wimpole Estate, The Bank of England Museum, Dulwich Picture Gallery, and St. John on Bethnal Green.
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