Thomas Hope: Regency Designer

by David Watkin, Daniella Ben-Arie

The son of the wealthiest merchant bankers in Europe, Thomas Hope (1769-1831) was a major catalyst in the arts of Regency England. At the age of 18, he embarked on a Grand Tour to the Continent and started to assemble the remarkable art collection that he later installed in his Duchess Street house in central London. Hope’s remodeling and interior decoration of that house fostered what became known as the Regency. This book is the most comprehensive study to date of Thomas Hope, focusing on his multifaceted role as designer and patron. The contributors examine his wide-ranging contribution to the arts as well as his extensive writings. Richly illustrated with new photographs, the volume presents a vast array of paintings, furniture, sculpture, and works of art, many of which have never been published before.

Published in association with The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture

Exhibition · Victoria & Albert Museum, London (March 21 – July 21, 2008)· · The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture, New York City (opens July 17, 2008)

520 pages, Hardcover

First published June 5, 2008

About the author

David John Watkin, MA PhD LittD Hon FRIBA FSA (born 1941) is a British architectural historian. He is an Emeritus Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and Professor Emeritus of History of Architecture in the Department of History of Art at the University of Cambridge. He has also taught at the Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture.[1]
David Watkin is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He is Vice-Chairman of the Georgian Group, and was a member of the Historic Buildings Council and its successor bodies in English Heritage from 1980-1995.

Reviews

[CharlotteReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding resource on the design, architecture art and cultural trends of the Georgian and Regency -- it serves as a good background to any Janeite, and to others writing Regency romances and toward a much deeper understanding of Miss Austen's world and literature.