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Drawing

ca. 1755 (made)
Artist/Maker

Measured elevation of a rusticated doorway to the Garden near the Great Theatre at Vicenza by Palladio by leading architect and designer, Sir William Chambers (1723-1796). The masonry of the pilasters is significantly different to the plate in Treatise (Chambers 1759). They are rusticated in the drawing but both rusticated and chamfered in the plate.

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, pencil and grey and sepia washes
Brief description
Measured elevation of a rusticated doorway to the Garden near the Great Theatre at Vicenza by Palladio, ca. 1755, Sir William Chambers (1723-1796).
Physical description
Measured elevation of a rusticated doorway to the Garden near the Great Theatre at Vicenza by Palladio
Dimensions
  • Height: 546mm
  • Width: 380mm
Style
Production typeDesign
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'W Chambers 1755' (Signed and dated)
  • '1' (Numbered)
  • 'A Rustic door to a Garden near the Great Theatre at Vincenza by Palladio The Whole Composition is beautiful the proportions pleasing and the Exection good the Wall of the Garden is as high as to the top……; ' (Inscribed in ink with dimensions)
  • (Watermark: LVG (similar to Churchill 1935, 406).)
Object history
Found unregistered in the department
Production
Attribution note: Scale: 1 in. to 1 French foot.

The masonry of the pilasters is significantly different to the plate in Treatise. They are rusticated in the drawing but both rusticated and chamfered in the plate.
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Summary
Measured elevation of a rusticated doorway to the Garden near the Great Theatre at Vicenza by Palladio by leading architect and designer, Sir William Chambers (1723-1796). The masonry of the pilasters is significantly different to the plate in Treatise (Chambers 1759). They are rusticated in the drawing but both rusticated and chamfered in the plate.

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 references
  • Chambers, W. Treatise on Civil Architecture. 1759
  • Chambers, W. ? 1791
  • Snodin, M. Sir William Chambers. London: V&A Publications, 1996.
Collection
Accession number
E.3235-1934

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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