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Longitudinal section through Pantheon portico

Drawing
1778 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Soon after his arrival in Rome in May 1778, Soane began a fruitful two-way collaboration with Thomas Hardwick (a former fellow student at the RA) which lasted the summer and autumn. Hardwick's extensive measured survey of the Pantheon completed during his stay in Italy was considered by contemporary architectural students as a paragon of antiquity. The partnership allowed Soane to obtain access to Hardwick's earlier drawings of the Pantheon and he copied at least three. This drawing is an example of a widespread practice among student architects abroad which has come to light since the chance discovery of the Soane and Hardwick suites. Due to increased competition 18th-century students were pressured to seek short-cuts to compile impressive portfolios. Consequently, out-in-the-open partnerships, clandestine collaborations and copying of drawings were common practice among the neo-classicists.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleLongitudinal section through Pantheon portico
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink with grey wash
Brief description
Longitudinal section through Pantheon portico, Pantheon (Santa Maria ad Martyres), Rome by Sir John Soane, 1778; pen and ink with grey wash; a copy of a drawing by Thomas Hardwick; the Richardson Collection.
Physical description
Longitudinal section through Pantheon portico with dimensions. Scale 1/8 in. to 1 ft.
Dimensions
  • Height: 47.5cm
  • Length: 61.5cm
Dimensions taken from Sir John Soane: Catalogues of the Architectural Drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum by Pierre de la Ruffinière du Prey, p. 28.
Production typeCopy
Object history
This object was once part of an album of designs by various architects, artists and designers collected by the architect Charles James Richardson, and was bought from him by the Museum in 1863.

The drawing was made by Soane while in Rome as part of a collaboration with Hardwick which allowed Soane to get access to Hardwick's earlier drawings of the Pantheon and make copies.
Production
Copy of a drawing by Thomas Hardwick.
Subjects depicted
Associations
Summary
Soon after his arrival in Rome in May 1778, Soane began a fruitful two-way collaboration with Thomas Hardwick (a former fellow student at the RA) which lasted the summer and autumn. Hardwick's extensive measured survey of the Pantheon completed during his stay in Italy was considered by contemporary architectural students as a paragon of antiquity. The partnership allowed Soane to obtain access to Hardwick's earlier drawings of the Pantheon and he copied at least three. This drawing is an example of a widespread practice among student architects abroad which has come to light since the chance discovery of the Soane and Hardwick suites. Due to increased competition 18th-century students were pressured to seek short-cuts to compile impressive portfolios. Consequently, out-in-the-open partnerships, clandestine collaborations and copying of drawings were common practice among the neo-classicists.
Bibliographic references
  • du Prey, P. de la Ruffinière. ‘Soane and Hardwick in Rome: A Neo-Classical Partnership’, Architectural History, 15, (1972), pp. 64-65, fig. 28a (cat. 4)
  • du Prey, P. de la Ruffinière. ‘Thomas Hardwick’ in Catalogue of the Drawings Collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Vol. G-K, Farnborough, 1973, pp. 89-95
  • du Prey, P. de la Ruffinière. Sir John Soane: Catalogues of Archaeological Drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1985, p. 28 (Cat. entry 4)
Collection
Accession number
3436:183

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Record createdFebruary 3, 2009
Record URL
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