Thomas Hope

Magazine Antiques, April, 2008 by Miriam Kramer

Thomas Hope, born in Amsterdam in 1769, was of Scottish descent and the eldest son in a wealthy Anglo-Dutch banking family. From his mother he inherited a love of the arts; from his father he inherited a fortune. His life's work (he died in 1831) was to accumulate collections of art and display them in his houses and gardens. This mission was underway by the time he commenced his grand tour at the age of eighteen. Over eight years he traveled across Europe and in Egypt and the Near East, taking in the art and architecture of each place. In 1795, when the French invaded the Netherlands, he joined his family who had left Amsterdam for England. In London he set about creating an elaborate residence, in which he decorated each room in a different style influenced by the collections he had amassed.

As an aside, it is worth noting that Thomas's brothers were also collectors. His younger brother, Henry Philip Hope, helped acquire paintings for Thomas and was himself particularly keen on gems. He owned both the Hope Diamond (now in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C.) and the Hope Pearl (now in the Natural History Museum in London).

In 1807 Thomas published sketches of his furniture in Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, a book that had considerable influence and was instrumental in popularizing the upcoming Regency style of furniture. Two years later he published Costumes of the Ancients, and in 1812 his Designs of Modern Costumes appeared. He also wrote anonymously a novel, Anastasius; or Memoirs of a Modern Greek, which was first attributed to Lord Byron. Two more of his works were published posthumously.

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In his London house and his countryseat at Deepdene, near Dorking in Surrey, Hope formed large collections of paintings, sculpture, and antiquities. He was also a patron of several artists, including the sculptors Francis Legatt Chantrey and John Flaxman. Hope's work is the subject of an exhibition organized by the Bard Graduate Center for the Decorative Arts in New York City and now on view at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Philip Hewat-Jaboor, David Watkin, and Daniella Ben-Arie are the curators. A fully illustrated catalogue, edited by Watkin and Hewat-Jaboor, and published by the Bard Graduate Center and Yale University Press, may be ordered by telephoning the press at 800-405-1619. A study day on the Regency style is being held at the Victoria and Albert Museum on June 13. Further details may be obtained from the Web site (www.vam.ac.uk/study-days).

Thomas Hope: Regency Designer. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, to June 22; Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, New York City, July 17 to November 16.