Title: "Glorious visions" : the theatre of display and Sir John Soane's house-museum /
Authors: Furján, Helene Mary, 1966-
Year: 2001
Subjects: Soane, John, Criticism and interpretation.; Soane, John, Homes and haunts.; Soane, John, Art patronage.; Sir John Soane's Museum.; Collectors and collecting Social aspects.
Abstract: This dissertation studies the house, museum and collections created by the architect, John Soane (1753-1837), examining the ways in which it manifests a concern with self-representation, legacy, taste and spectacular display. My analysis focuses on the theatrical moments relying on spectacular effects and theatrical devices--the "glorious visions." The house-museum operated in many different ways: as museum (evidencing a desire to collect and exhibit fragments of the past), gallery (displaying contemporary works), didactic space (fragments or works of art instructing young architects or artists), monument (commemorating aspects of his life, his architectural achievement, and that of others), archive, spectacular theatre, model (a proper gentlemanly abode, and a diversity of architectural invention), and connoisseurial collection (demonstrating Soane's taste and discernment).