Sarcophagus party

In 1817 Giovanni Belzoni discovered the tomb of King Seti I and deep within the tomb was the king's magnificent, translucent sarcophagus. The alabaster sarcophagus was first offered to the British Museum who baulked at the £2,000 asking price.

For the London architect, Sir John Soane, however, Seti's sarcophagus was just the thing he needed for his growing collection of ancient curios in his Lincoln’s Inn Fields house.

To celebrate the arrival of the sarcophagus, in March 1825, Soane held a three-day party, attended by London's who's who, including the Prime Minister, Coleridge and Turner. 

The basement where the sarcophagus was housed was lit by over one hundred lamps and candelabra, refreshments were laid on and the exterior of the house was hung with lamps.