Yale Center for British Art

Creator:
James Gibbs, 1682–1754, British
Title:
Unidentified Office or Stables: Front Elevation
Date:
ca. 1720
Materials & Techniques:
Watercolor with pen and ink and graphite on medium, slightly textured, cream laid paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 8 1/8 x 14 1/2 inches (20.6 x 36.8 cm)
Inscription(s)/Marks/Lettering:
Watermark: fleur-de-lis within crowned cartouche
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1975.2.225
Classification:
Drawing & Watercolors-Architectural
Collection:
Prints and Drawings
Subject Terms:
architectural subject | design drawing | stable | pediment | Baroque
Currently On View:
Not on view
Gallery Label:
This drawing is one of a pair of alternate elevations (see B1975.2.225) for an unidentified building, though the reduced ornament and layout resemble James Gibbs's designs for utilitarian structures such as stables or offices, and the design bears similarities to his work at Compton Verney (1740). The nine-bay elevation measures approximately 108 feet across and about 21 feet high from the ground level to the cornice. The central range is brought forward and articulated by a pediment. The ground floor is faced with a deep-cut rustication, the windows left unadorned. Gibbs was a successful country house architect from 1714, and his architectural style shifted in the 1720s from a baroque to a more classical approach influenced by the prevailing Palladian taste of his contemporaries. This design is undated, though it probably belongs to the later part of his career. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2014
Link:
https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:6167