The Sun.
London, England, 1825-04-12 00:00:00

MR. SOA.NE'S SOIRV.E.
BELZONI SARCOPHAGUS.

Mr. SOANE opened his house, for a third time,
on Wednesday evening last, when about five hundred visitor
were assembled to View the Belzoni Sarcophagus, and the other
numerous works of art with which the museum is so abundantly
stored. All the apartments on the ground-floor were thrown
open, and the effect was most enchanting, owing to the beau-
tiful architectural forms that everywhere meet the eye; the
truly picturesque arrangement of the principal gallery is con-
siderably heightened.by the striking and brilliant effect of light
and shade ; and the profusion of richly-stained glass that is in-
troduced in the most tasteful manner in almost every room ;
add to all these attractions the costly folios and splendid archi-
tectural works that were-laid on the tables, and some faint idea
may be formed of the rich banquet prepared for the lovers of art.
We believe each individual present must have felt that he
needed the eyes of Argus, not excepting a single one, in order
to enjoy fully the numerous objects that struck his gaze on every
side ; since the contents of a single room would have demanded
a day to examine them. We suspect, therefore, that in the
minds of such a multiplicity of other attractions, the Sarcoplia-
.gus itself was little heeded by the majority of the company.
This curious relic is deposited; in a lower part of the gallery, on
a level with the basement fiddr.; and the effect of it, as viewed
from above, strongly lightetris"it was, was striking in the ex-
treme. The .honk's ParlOurvivith its splendid painted window,
powerfully illuminated frotiiVithout, was certainly not the least
attractive point in this scrennif fascination. The Picture Cabi-
net, immediately above this :room, and opening into it, by
means of moveable pannels7* shitters, to which the paintings
are affixed, and of which thCconstruction is quite novel, was
another charming spot, and was continually crowded. Splendid
and costly as all these apartments are, they are any thing but
gaudy; every ornament is most elegant and recherché. There
are mansions is this metropolis more extensive, more splendid,
as far as relates to furniture and upholstery, but, perhaps, not
one exhibiting so much taste, such picturesque arrangement,
such a happy economy of room,. and such richness, yet chastity,
of decoration.

Among the company present were the Earl of Harrowby,
Mr. Peel, the Marquis of Hertford, and many other distinguish-
ed characters ; we also observed two foreigners, in a rich ori-
ental costume, and a number of artists and men of letters.

The following interesting description of Mr. Soane's house
and gallery is written by Mr. Britton, and appears in No. X.
of the 4 Illustrations of Landon,' by that gentleman and Mr.
Pugin :
The house of Mr. Soane was built by himself, in the year
1812, on a piece of freehold ground, situated on the north side
of Lincoln's Inn Fields. Its frontage is about thirty feet in
width only, but its depth extends to about eighty feet. The
ground floor, or principle suite of rooms, consists of a hall and
staircase; a refreshment room, serving also as a library, mea-
suring twenty-two feet by thirty-nine, and thirteen in height;
and other apartments. The sides of the library are occupied
by glazed bookcases, filled with choice and valuable books,
Many vases, and fragments of antiquity, some fine archi-
tectural drawings, and is fitted up with several mirrors, which
tend to give space, variety, and picturesque effect to the whole.
Behind the central part of this room is an open court, adorned
Iby numerous architectural fragments. On one side of this
court is a breakfast-room, with a donee- ceiling in the centre,
And two lantern windows peculiarly disposed at the ends to
throw the whole light on the walls, or rather on the objects that
adorn diem. This apartment is filled with books and drawings,
and communicates with-the front room by double doors, one of
which is ,glazed with painted glass. It also opens to the entrance-
hall, and to a museum behind, by two ether glazed doors.
Plate I. shows the style and fitting-up of this room, looking
from the fire-place towards the court already mentioned. The
central window has one large piece of plate-glass in the centre.
Over the glazed book-case, on the left hand, are drawings of
the Bank of England, which are lighted from above. On the
opposite side of the Court is a narrow gallery, of communication,
between the front room and the museum, furnished with books
and choice epecimens,of bronze and marble antiques. Behind
these rooms and the court are a museum, an office, and picture
galleries, occupying the whole width of three houses in front.
Over part of the museum, and forming a portion of it, is the
architect's office, supported on columns, and insulated from the
walls, by which novel and ingenious design, the lantern win-
dows aftbrd abundant light, both to the office anti to the museum.
Another part of the museum is open from the basement-floor to
a lofty glazed dome; the latter rests on four arched and piers,
detached from the main walls, and allowing a passage or gallery
round. The walls and 'every part of this museum are richly
stored with choice and valuable fragments of ancient architec-
ture and sculpture, interspersed with casts from architectural
members and relics of various kinds. On the basement-floor is
placed a far-finned and highly-interesting Egyptian .Sacco.
phaca lately bought by 111 r. Soane from the agents of Messrs.
Salt and Belzoni, for 2,0001. sterling. This unique specimen
of the arts, and of the sacred funeral rites of the ancient Egyp-
tians, is perfectly important to the antiquary and historian. Its
whole surface, externally and internally, is covered with hiero-
glypliic characters, the meaning of which has hitherto set learn-
ing at defiance, and baffled human sagacity. At the western
end of the museum is a picture gallery, the general design and
form of which are delineated in Plate 11. A large bay window,
of stained glass, occupies nearly one side of this room, and the
wall opposite is covered with pictures, among which is the
jestly celebrated and admirable series of the Rake's Progress,
by lingual. Many other pictures, drawings, books, &c. are
displayed in this tasteful and truly beautiful apartment. A
groined ceiling, apparently suspended, extends over the centre
of the room, whilst at each side is a lantern window, rising
above the ceiling, and extending the whole length of the gal-
lery. This admirable mode of introducing light into a picture
gallery is calculated to exhibit every painting to advantage ;
and Sir. Soane has adopted a similar plan, with variations in
form and position, in other parts of his interesting house. This
room has been deprived of its pictures and other ornaments,
which are removed to a new gallery on the eastern side of the
museum. The latter is novel in design, and highly rich in de-
coration. Within a space of 17 feet by 13, and 11 feet in
height, above the bookcases, the artist has most ingeniously
formed a surface of 1,656 square feet for the display of paint-
ings, and has occupied nearly the whole of that surface by a se-
ries of valuable and interesting works of art. The four much-
valued and inimitable pictures by Hogarth, representing so
many stages in an election of a Member of Parliament, first
attract attention.'
Opening a pair of folding doors, on which two of these.
pictures hang, the spectator is presented with eight other works
by the same powerful artist, representing as many scenes, or
• events, in a Rake's progress, from a state of innocent adolese
cence, through different degrees of dissipation and vice, to ruin
and to madness. Much interesting history and anecdote is
connected with the two sets of pictures just noticed ; but I
must forbear to dilate on subjects that, it must be acknow-
ledged, are not strictly architectural. Three other sides of this
apartment are enriched with other pictures, by Cannaletti,. Sir
Jcshua Reynolds, Turner, Bird, Vestal], Howard, Barrett,
Sir Francis Bourgeois, Angelica Kaufman, Fuseli, Cosway,
Gandy, Piranesi, &c. These are disposed on the exterior sur-
face of the walls, or rather pannels, and also on the interior
surface of the same pannels, which move upon hinges ; and
likewise on the walls behind those doors. Thus three surfaces
are given in the usual space of one. At one side of the gallery
there are four doors, or revolving pannels, presenting so many
faces for the display of pictures. All these surfaces are hung with
paintings of various classes, and from the manner in which. the
light is admitted all arc seen to advantage. The ceiling of this
room is highly ornamented, the chimney-piece is novel and
beautiful, the doors of the dwarf bookcaies are of the choieest
mahogany, ornamented, with brass, and the whole is finished
in the most skilful manner. On opening the folding pannels,
at one side of the room, a new and singular scene is presented ;
a second gallery is displayed, with its ends and sides adorned
with pictures, and numerous architectural castssend fragments.
Over the dwarf bookcases, which form a sort of balustrade, the
spectator looks down several feet, into a highly decorated room,
with a large window of painted glass, &c. and up to a lantern
light of stained glass. This unexpected glance into such a
subterranean museum, rouses curiosity, and makes the observer
impatient to inspect its whole form and contents. Descending
a flight of stairs, ' the monk's room,' as it is called, is ap-
proached through a door of painted glass, and cannot fail to
excite both astonishment and delight. With mirrors, reflect-
ing its numerous ' gothic' ornaments; with niches, groining,
canopies, Masks, crucifix, hour-glass, &c.; with a ruined
cloister, and its analogous appendages, on the outside ; this
apartment presents a most impressive, novel, and interesting
scene. The room thus noticed, as well as many other'parts of
i the house, may he adduced as proofs to verify, or impeach, the
professor's opinions, as inculcated in his • lectures at the Royal
Academy and Royal Institution,—that architecture is riot only
a science but an art, that it is capable of producing simple,
beautiful, and sublime scenes,—that it is the nurse, or guar-
dian of the other fine arts, and that it is susceptible of producing
high poetical efforts.'
exhibi-
tions of these treasures'of ANCIENT and Al onEnee
Aar'nant,
**** Though we gave accounts of the successive
asthey occurred, yet, deeming the whole a national ornament,
we present the foregoing detail as an His Ton
never
of what we hope will become NATIONAL PROPERT cover
to Llterary
to be dispersed, and for which we are indebted to
Chronicle. IcALottEacottD
.____.-....

The Barristers of the Norfolk Circuit have presented Mr.
Serjeanf Firth with a diamond;ring, as a tribute of their respect
4:1(1 esteem.