Plan and elevation of the Temple of Clitumnus, Spoleto, Italy
Drawing
ca. August 1779 (made)
ca. August 1779 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The so-called Temple (actually an early Christian church) was made famous through Andrea Palladio's I Quattro libri dell architettura (Venice, 1570). The small Temple's convenient location between Spoleto and Foligno allowed for it to be included in the circular tour of central Italy and this route was taken up by Soane. The drawing is one of the most charming from Soane's Italian sojourn. It combines archaeological accuracy with a romantic whiff of crumbling ruination in the manner popularised by Piranesi and Clérisseau. During his travels in Italy, Soane wrote to the authoress of the guidebook he was using, Lady Anna Miller, to offer her a drawing of the Clitumnus structure which she had admired. Subsequent correspondence reveals that Soane hoped to execute a facsimile for Lady Miller when he returned to England and highlights his ambitious drive to obtain work as well as complete his neo-classical quest through reproduction of antique prototypes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Plan and elevation of the Temple of Clitumnus, Spoleto, Italy (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Pen and ink with grey and yellow wash |
| Brief description | Plan and elevation of the Temple of Clitumnus, Spoleto, Italy by Sir John Soane, ca. August 1779; pen and ink with grey and yellow wash; the Richardson Collection |
| Physical description | Plan and elavation of the main façade of the temple of Clitumnus (actually an early Christian church), Spoleto, Italy. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| 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. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Associations | |
| Summary | The so-called Temple (actually an early Christian church) was made famous through Andrea Palladio's I Quattro libri dell architettura (Venice, 1570). The small Temple's convenient location between Spoleto and Foligno allowed for it to be included in the circular tour of central Italy and this route was taken up by Soane. The drawing is one of the most charming from Soane's Italian sojourn. It combines archaeological accuracy with a romantic whiff of crumbling ruination in the manner popularised by Piranesi and Clérisseau. During his travels in Italy, Soane wrote to the authoress of the guidebook he was using, Lady Anna Miller, to offer her a drawing of the Clitumnus structure which she had admired. Subsequent correspondence reveals that Soane hoped to execute a facsimile for Lady Miller when he returned to England and highlights his ambitious drive to obtain work as well as complete his neo-classical quest through reproduction of antique prototypes. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 3436:187 |
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| Record created | February 3, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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