Plan of the Tordinona Theatre by leading architect and designer Sir William Chambers (1723-1796). This drawing does not appear to be in Chamber’s hand, although the inscribed title in his hand shows that it was in his collection. For another drawing by the same hand for an unidentified theatre see cat.599, acquired with this drawing. For a more schematic plan of the Tordinona Theatre see cat.515. The theatre, one of the earliest to have a horseshoe-shaped auditorium, was built in 1695 to a design by Carlo Fontana.

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.