George Richardson (after), a plate from 'A New Collection of Chimney Pieces Ornamented in the Style of the Etruscan, Greek, and Roman Architecture', London, 1781.

Richardson published 36 designs for chimneypieces "suitable to the most elegant range of apartments". The classical orders became standard for all features of interior design in polite architecture.

With respect to record 03/2773, the Royal Academy of Art writes:

'Like Richardson's <I>A Book of Ceilings</I> (1776) this work was issued serially in six part numbers of six plates each, and these still carry their original publication dates - May 1778, June 1780, September 1780, December 1780, March 1781, and June 1781. The last of these was probably priced as a 'double number' since it would have included the title-page, dedication and 16-page letterpress description. On 25 June 1778 the Royal Academy paid 12s. for 'A Number of Richardson's Chimneys' and on 29 June 1781 a further £3 12s. for the rest of the book, making the total price £4 4s. This book is one of the earliest in Britain to include plates made by means of the aquatint technique, which Richardson learnt from Paul Sandby. Richardson went on to use this method of representing tone in all his subsequent architectural publications - though never, as most others employing the technique after him did, to represent architectural designs set within picturesque scenery. Some copies of this book were sold with the plates hand-coloured in imitation of marble.'

Published in the book A New Collection of Chimney Pieces ornamented in the style of the Etruscan, Greek and Roman Architecture; containing thirty-six designs, suitable to the most elegant range of apartments; with descriptions of the plates in English and French , printed for the author

E.1210-1885