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Drawing

mid 1770s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This design is part of a group of over 900 drawings of frames, mainly for pier glasses, overmantels, and girandoles. Many of these workshop designs share similar characteristics such as leaf scrolls and festoons of husks. Most of them are numbered, contain information about who ordered them, the date, the price (written in code), the colour of the frame and the dimensions of the finished object.

The drawings from John Linnell's workshop survive over the period 1773 to 1783. From April 1773 to August 1778, the workshop produced about twelve pieces a month. Production decreased over the next two years to 3 or 4 pieces a month. In 1783 these designs were no longer produced.

Robert Adam, a leading architect, was a key influence on the neoclassical designs of John Linnell. Linnell worked with Adam for the first time at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire, and they worked together on a number of other occasions. In the early 1770s festoons of husks began to be used on pier glasses and they are very prominent within these workshop designs.

John Linnell (1729-1796) was the son of the famous furniture maker William Linnell (ca. 1703-1763). Unlike most furniture makers, John Linnell gained a design education at the St. Martin's Lane Academy, which was founded by William Hogarth in 1735. In 1750, aged 21, he joined his father's firm as a designer. On his father's death in 1763, John Linnell took over the family firm. During his lifetime John Linnell produced high quality furniture, which rivalled that of other leading furniture makers such as Thomas Chippendale, John Cobb and William Ince and John Mayhew.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Ink, pencil, yellow and grey watercolour.
Brief description
4 designs for frames; John Linnell.
Physical description
'No. 1' A design for an oval pier glass. The frame is vertically aligned and features neoclassical moulding. The crest is topped by a palmette. Husk festoons are supported by acanthus scrolls around the sides, tapering into a point, with floral details.

'No. 2' A design for an oval pier glass. The frame is vertically aligned. From an urn finial fall husk festoons, which continue down the sides of the mirrors. Acanthus scroll details. The frame features ribbon and stick moulding. Separate there is a detail of the flower decoration used on the mirror.

[No number 3 is listed]

'No. 4' A design for an oval shaped pier glass topped with an oval shaped urn finial, from which husk festoons fall along the sides supported by acanthus scrolls. The frame features neoclassical moulding.

'No. 5' A design for an oval pier glass. The frame is vertically aligned. The glass is divided into two sections by neoclassical moulding. The frame features ribbon and stick and acanthus scrolls. Husk festoons hang from an urn finial. The apron tapers to a point. There is a separate detail of the floral design used.
Dimensions
  • Mount height: 54.5cm
  • Mount width: 74.6cm
  • Height: 32cm
  • Width: 54cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'No. 1' 'Mr Turner in Gough Sqre 2. B. gold April 10th 1773' '2 ft 3 wide' '4ft high' '27-19'
  • 'No. 2' 'Mr Hanchett at Br Hartford 2 in Repd wt at [illegible] each' 'moulding 1 1/4 broad' '25-18' '1 ft 11' '9 ft 10'
  • 'No. 4' 'Mr Pratt Southampton 2 for his own glasses 1-34-35 1-33-23 1/2 in Repd white' 'moulding 2 In broad'
  • 'No. 5' 'Revd Mr Lee [paper missing] 'Captn Jones 2 glasses 2 frames in B. gold 25-18' 'moulding 1 1/4 broad' '4ft 0 1/2'
Subjects depicted
Summary
This design is part of a group of over 900 drawings of frames, mainly for pier glasses, overmantels, and girandoles. Many of these workshop designs share similar characteristics such as leaf scrolls and festoons of husks. Most of them are numbered, contain information about who ordered them, the date, the price (written in code), the colour of the frame and the dimensions of the finished object.

The drawings from John Linnell's workshop survive over the period 1773 to 1783. From April 1773 to August 1778, the workshop produced about twelve pieces a month. Production decreased over the next two years to 3 or 4 pieces a month. In 1783 these designs were no longer produced.

Robert Adam, a leading architect, was a key influence on the neoclassical designs of John Linnell. Linnell worked with Adam for the first time at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire, and they worked together on a number of other occasions. In the early 1770s festoons of husks began to be used on pier glasses and they are very prominent within these workshop designs.

John Linnell (1729-1796) was the son of the famous furniture maker William Linnell (ca. 1703-1763). Unlike most furniture makers, John Linnell gained a design education at the St. Martin's Lane Academy, which was founded by William Hogarth in 1735. In 1750, aged 21, he joined his father's firm as a designer. On his father's death in 1763, John Linnell took over the family firm. During his lifetime John Linnell produced high quality furniture, which rivalled that of other leading furniture makers such as Thomas Chippendale, John Cobb and William Ince and John Mayhew.
Bibliographic references
  • Helena Hayward and Pat Kirkham,William and John Linnell; eighteenth century London furniture makers (London, ca. 1980).
  • Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design, Accessions 1911, London, Printed for His Majesty’s Stationery Office 1912
Collection
Accession number
E.3466-1911

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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