THOMAS HOPE: REGENCY DESIGNER
Thomas Hope
Thomas Hope was a man with a vision. He was determined to reform contemporary taste by returning architecture and the arts, including interior design and furniture, to what he conceived as the spirit of classical purity.
A Dutchman, born in Amsterdam in 1769, Hope inherited from his family a tradition of collecting as well as vast wealth from the family bank. He was a collector on a grand scale and also an innovative designer of great genius who helped define what we understand as the Regency style.
The colourful interiors of Thomas Hope's two houses - Duchess Street in London and Deepdene in Surrey - played a unique role in the history of collecting, interior design and display. Both were open to select visitors, but his furniture reached an even wider public through his book, 'Household Furniture and Interior Decoration'. Published in 1807, this book introduced the term 'interior decoration' into the English language.
Family & Grand Tour
For ten years, between 1787 and 1797, Thomas Hope travelled widely through Europe and the Near East. His Grand Tour enriched his knowledge and passion for architecture and the arts, particularly those of the Ottoman Empire. It also trained his eye for his future task of improving modern design. Hope made or commissioned some exquisite drawings during these unusually extensive travels.
His great fortune, deriving from the family bank Hope & Co., allowed him to follow his artistic interests. The family lived like kings in Holland, but in 1794 decided to move to London to escape the French occupation of the Netherlands.
When Thomas rejoined them after his travels, he commissioned his portrait in Turkish dress in Istanbul, as an exotic traveller in the Ottoman Empire. A portrait of his wife Louisa, was painted on the occasion of their marriage, showing her in fashionable Regency costume.
Below are miniature portraits of Thomas Hope's family. Click on an image for a larger version.
Buy Thomas Hope Book
Thomas Hope: Designer and Patron in Regency London
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.
David Watkin is professor of the history of architecture at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of a previous book on Thomas Hope and of others on James 'Athenian' Stuart, Sir John Soane, and King George III, as well as several architectural survey volumes. Philip Hewat-Jaboor is an independent scholar, collector, and curator. Together with David Watkin and Daniella Ben Arie he is curator of the Thomas Hope exhibition.
Published by Yale University Press. £50. Available from the V&A Shop or by calling 0207 942 2696.