The vault and the box are two recurring themes in the history of architecture. Few boxes have ever reached the degree of sophistication to be found in Johnson's steel-framed Glass House. Inside the transparent box, objects and fittings (for example the free-standing 'buffet bar') take on the significance of chess pieces—checkmate produces a perfect ambiance! The Žminence grise behind the design is Mies, and so is also (as a number of critics have playfully suggested) an eclectic pot-pourri ranging from Choisy's Acropolis plan, Schinkel's Casino, Mies's own Farnsworth House sketches and IIT plan, Ledoux's rationalism and possibly even Malevitch's 1913 'Circle' painting.