In the center of London is the house museum of the English architect John Soane. About 45 thousand exhibits are stored here: antique artifacts, works of painting and sculpture, drawings and architectural miniatures of ancient buildings, as well as models of Soane’s own projects. Models of the structures are made of plaster and cork, and the collector showed them to architecture students he taught at the Royal Academy. For some time the miniatures were stored in the attic, later they were moved to the former bedroom of Soane's wife, Elizabeth.
One of the exhibits is a model of the Pompeii excavation area. This ancient city, buried under ash, inspired many British architects who sought to revive the heritage of the classical period of antiquity. The composition was created by the Italian master Domenico Padiglione, author of the “Gallery of Models of Ancient Monuments” series. Before us is a small section of the southern part of the city, where archaeological research was actively carried out in the 19th century. You can see the theater and the area where gladiators trained.
There are also other miniatures in the collection made by Domenico Padiglione. These are models of the temples of Paestum, made from cork. Due to the specific appearance of the material, small structures are very reminiscent of crumbling dilapidated ruins. The present temples are located on the site of the former Greek colony of Paestum in Italy. Three temples erected in honor of Athena, Hera and Apollo have been more or less preserved. Soane was inspired by this ancient city; in his collection one can find drawings by Giovanni Piranesi, the author of the etchings “The Ruins of Paestum”.
Another model of the Temple of Paestum was created by the French master Francois Fouquet. Unlike previous miniatures, this one is made of plaster - the author showed how the building was seen in ancient times. The model contrasts sharply with the cork examples: the snow-white temple next to other similar exhibits looks as if construction had just been completed.
Here are some more exhibits from the John Soane Museum.
