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Architectural Drawing

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

Measured drawings of window and door surrounds, and the mouldings around the skylight in the rotunda at Capra by leading architect and designer Sir William Chambers (1723-1796). The design is formed of three parts recently re-united, but is still incomplete.

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
Measured drawings of window and door surrounds, and the mouldings around the skylight in the rotunda at Capra, 18th century, Sir William Chambers (1723-1796).
Physical description
Measured drawings of window and door surrounds, and the mouldings around the skylight in the rotunda. It is formed of three parts recently re-united, but is still incomplete.
Dimensions
  • Height: 479mm
  • Width: 286mm
Production typeDesign
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Various Parts of Capra' (Inscribed in ink with notes and dimensions)
  • 'Vicenza' (Written in pencil and in a later hand)
  • 'Front of the little doors in the Saloon; Profile of the little doors in the Saloon; Entablature which finishes the Saloon B; Profile round the Skylight….' (Inscribed in ink)
  • (Watermark: Pieter van der Ley (Churchill 1935, 135))
Object history
Bought from Parsons
Production
Attribution note: Cat 579 may once also have belonged to it.
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Summary
Measured drawings of window and door surrounds, and the mouldings around the skylight in the rotunda at Capra by leading architect and designer Sir William Chambers (1723-1796). The design is formed of three parts recently re-united, but is still incomplete.

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 objects
Bibliographic reference
Snodin, M. Sir William Chambers. London: V&A Publications, 1996.
Collection
Accession number
7074:77

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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