Global Art Histories

Collecting Practices: The Soane Museum Sarcophagus

Treasure hunting in Egypt for national glory

Sir John Soane’s House and Museum: the Belzoni Chamber at basement level, showing the sarcophagus of Seti I. Engraving. Wellcome Collection. Source: Wellcome Collection. Public Domain

Above is an engraving of the sarcophagus of Pharoah Seti I, dating to around 1370 BCE and carved from a single block of alabaster. The sarcophagus is covered with engraved hieroglyphics, which narrate the journey of the Sun through the Underworld. The hieroglyphs were originally filled with blue pigment, which has been erased through previous misguided attempts at restoration. Over the years, both the lid and the inner sarcophagus have been destroyed. The remaining base is now set within the house of Sir John Soane, a Wunderkammer still present in its original form in London, bought by Soane in 1824 as the centrepiece of his collection.

However, before the sarcophagus reached its resting place in Soane’s house, it passed through an Italian “strongman” and a British Diplomat, the story of which is representative of many acquisitions during this period.

Henry Salt, c. 1820. Photograph by John James Halls (1776–1853). Public domain

Artist-turned-antiquarian Henry Salt (14 June 1780–30 October 1827) arrived in Egypt in 1816 as consul-general, and was tasked to collect antiquities for the…