Cataloguing the Soane: a change in approach
Faced with the challenge of publishing catalogues of the Soane Museum’s varied collections, Tim Knox, the museum’s director, decided to give online publication priority over books. He explains his reasons for this radical new direction.
Tim Knox, Sunday, 29th June 2008
This spring, Helen Dorey has been working with other experts on a definitive catalogue of the museum’s furniture, to be published as a future issue of Furniture History, the journal of the Furniture History Society. It will be a tribute to the memory of Peter Thornton, Curator of the Museum from 1984 to 1995, who died last year.
An exciting – and novel – addition to the museum’s publications are podcast tours, developed in 2007 and now available free via the Soane Museum website. These down- loadable audio tours can be discreetly listened to with an ipod, an mp3 player, or even some mobile phones, saving the museum the trouble of having to supply and maintain its own audio equipment. Made by the museum in association with Vocal Heroes and sponsored by the Band Trust, we currently offer a 60-minute ‘Classic Tour’ of the museum, and a shorter children’s tour spoken by the well-known actress Eleanor Bron, enlivened by sound effects such as the barking of Mrs Soane’s dog Fanny. They have been so successful that two further podcasts will be added to the range this year. They demonstrate how modern technology can help us share and explain Soane’s idiosyncratic creation without destroying its unique antiquarian atmosphere.
Tim Knox has been Director of Sir John Soane’s Museum since 2005.
The works illustrating this article are in Sir John Soane’s Museum, London.
1 The Dome room in the museum: Sir Francis Chantrey’s bust of Soane is surrounded by an array of Greek and Roman marbles and architectural casts. Photo: Martin Charles
2 A sketch by Robert Adam (1728-92) for arranging sculpture in his London home, 75 Lower Grosvenor Street, c. 1758-60. He and his brother James had collected the sculpture in Italy. Pen and ink, 196 x 232 cm
3 Minerva, early 19th century, after the antique. Glass-paste cameo imitating sardonyx, in gold mount, 3.5 x 2.6 cm. This is one of 275 gems purchased by Soane from the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos in 1834. Photo: Ole Woldbye
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