Thomas Hope

Thomas Hope (30 August 17692 February 1831) was a Dutch-British interior and Regency designer, traveler, author, philosopher, art collector, and a member of Hope & Co. He is best known for introducing the Greek Revival architecture, opening his house as a museum and his novel Anastasius, a work which many experts considered a rival to the writings of Lord Byron. Early life and family The eldest son of Jan Hope, Thomas descended from a branch of an old Scottish family (Quakers) who for several generations were merchant bankers known as the Hopes of Amsterdam, or Hope & Co. He was baptized on 3rd September in the English Reformed Church, Amsterdam. He had two brothers, Adrian Elias (1772-1834), an innovative gardener, and Henry Philip (1774-1839), a collector of gems and jewelry. Hope was possibly painted as a boy by Guy Head who visited Amsterdam c.1780. Thomas inherited a love of the arts from his parents. His father spent his final years turning his summer home Groenendaal Park in Heemstede into a grand park of sculpture which would be open to the public. Grand tour