Drawing thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level E , Case A, Shelf 229, Box D

Drawing

ca. 1755-1760 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Whether this is an unrecorded scheme for Harewood or for another early and unbuilt commission is unknown; it can in any case be dated to c.1755-1760.

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

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink, pencil and grey wash
Brief description
Plan of the principal floor of an unidentified country house; William Chambers.
Physical description
Plan of the principal floor of an unidentified country house. This design incorporates many of the ideas Chambers proposed for the failed commission at Harewood House although it does not precisely match any of the elevations of Harewood that survive. (Scale: 3 1/8 in. to 40 ft).
Dimensions
  • Height: 312mm
  • Width: 469mm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
'A Plan of the Principal floor' (in ink. Points of the compass, room names and dimensions are also given.)
Object history
Bought from C.J. Richardson, 1864.
Historical context
Whether this is an unrecorded scheme for Harewood or for another early and unbuilt commission is unknown; it can in any case be dated to c.1755-1760.
Subject depicted
Summary
Whether this is an unrecorded scheme for Harewood or for another early and unbuilt commission is unknown; it can in any case be dated to c.1755-1760.

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.
Bibliographic reference
Snodin Catalogue Number: 762
Collection
Accession number
3357

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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