Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level E , Case A, Shelf 229, Box E

Drawing

18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Full-size elevation of part of a doorcase by leading architect and designer Sir William Chambers (1723-1796). These are two recently reunited fragments (7078.40 and 7078.9) from a larger sheet, drawn in an office hand. They appear to show a bracket (in elevation) and a Corinthian cornice, probably supporting a pedimented overdoor.

Chambers was born in Sweden and died in London. He travelled widely, visiting China, and studied architecture at the Ecole des Arts, Paris, from 1749 and in Italy from 1750 to 1755. Many of his drawings from this period are contained in his important 'Franco-Italian' album, held in the V&A. Chambers moved to London in 1755 and published his influential Treatise on Civil Architecture in 1759. Chambers demonstrated the breadth of his style in buildings such as Gower (later Carrington) House and Melbourne House, London, in such country houses as Duddingston, Scotland, and in the garden architecture he designed for Wilton House, Wiltshire, and at Kew Gardens. He became head of government building in 1782, and in this capacity built Somerset House, London.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink with pencil
Brief description
Full-size elevation of part of a doorcase, 18th century, Sir William Chambers (1723-1796).
Physical description
Full-size elevation of part of a doorcase. These are two recently reunited fragments (7078.40 and 7078.9) from a larger sheet, drawn in an office hand. They appear to show a bracket (in elevation) and a Corinthian cornice, probably supporting a pedimented overdoor.
Dimensions
  • Height: 328mm
  • Width: 506mm
Style
Production typeDesign
Marks and inscriptions
'For first Door in great Room principal story' (Written in pencil)
Object history
Bought from Parsons
Subjects depicted
Summary
Full-size elevation of part of a doorcase by leading architect and designer Sir William Chambers (1723-1796). These are two recently reunited fragments (7078.40 and 7078.9) from a larger sheet, drawn in an office hand. They appear to show a bracket (in elevation) and a Corinthian cornice, probably supporting a pedimented overdoor.

Chambers was born in Sweden and died in London. He travelled widely, visiting China, and studied architecture at the Ecole des Arts, Paris, from 1749 and in Italy from 1750 to 1755. Many of his drawings from this period are contained in his important 'Franco-Italian' album, held in the V&A. Chambers moved to London in 1755 and published his influential Treatise on Civil Architecture in 1759. Chambers demonstrated the breadth of his style in buildings such as Gower (later Carrington) House and Melbourne House, London, in such country houses as Duddingston, Scotland, and in the garden architecture he designed for Wilton House, Wiltshire, and at Kew Gardens. He became head of government building in 1782, and in this capacity built Somerset House, London.
Associated object
7078:9 (Part)
Bibliographic reference
Snodin, M. Sir William Chambers. London: V&A Publications, 1996.
Collection
Accession number
7078:40

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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