Exhibition/Egyptomania: Thomas Hope, Regency Designer

Huliq.com

A new exhibition at the V&A will show the work and collections of Thomas Hope (1769-1831), one of the most influential designers and patron of the arts in Britain in the early 19th century. The exhibition will be on view through 22 June, 2008. . . .

The exhibition will recreate the atmosphere of three rooms from the Duchess Street house, originally built by Robert Adam. Each room had a different character designed to appeal to all the senses. The V&A exhibition will show objects from one of the Vase Rooms which displayed Hope’s collection of ancient Greek and Roman vases; the Egyptian Room which combined ancient Egyptian antiquities with modern pieces of Egyptian inspired furniture; and the dramatic Aurora Room designed as the setting for Hope’s Aurora and Cephalus statue. To evoke the sensation of dawn the walls of this room were covered with mirrors edged with black velvet over which were draped curtains of black and orange satin.

The exhibition will examine Hope’s creative talents from designer of interiors, furniture and metalwork to painter and writer. On public display for the first time will be Hope’s watercolours of classical sites and scenes of contemporary life from Greece, Turkey and Egypt, countries he visited on his Grand Tour. Another section will look at Hope’s numerous publications on architecture, design and costume.

See the above page for the full story. See the Victoria and Albert website at www.vam.ac.uk