South Front of Duff House the Seat of the Rt. Honle. the Earl of Fife

Method Copper engraving
Artist Thomas White after James Gandon
Published J. Gandon del. T. White sculp. [London, 1765-1771]
Dimensions Image 215 x 675 mm, Plate 255 x 700 mm, Sheet 570 x 730 mm
Notes Titled in English and French.

A finely engraved architectural view of the south front of Duff House, Aberdeenshire, from the Woolfe and Gandon volumes of Vitruvius Britannicus, or, The British Architect. The House was designed by William Adam, father of the famous Robert Adam for William Duff of Braco and built during the late 1730s. The original design, as shown here, included a pair of flanking pavilions though these were never built as the Earl and Adam had a falling out over the design that eventually led to a court case between the pair. During the second world war, the house and grounds was used initially as a camp for prisoners of war before being turned into the headquarters of the Free Norwegian Forces. It is now owned by the National Galleries of Scotland.

Vitruvius Britannicus or, the British Architect. Containing the Plans, Elevations, and Sections of the most Regular Buildings both Publick & Private in Great Britain was the first architectural work to emerge from England since John Shute's The First and Chief Groundes of Architecture, which was first printed in 1563. Often regarded as a catalogue of designs, Vitruvius Britannicus contained a number of plans, elevations, and sections of buildings in Great Britain by the most prominent architects of the day, including Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren. The text as well as a great many of the designs were the work of the Scottish architect Colen Campbell, with the first three volumes being published between 1715 and 1725. The success of Vitruvius Britannicus was instrumental in popularising neo-Palladian Architecture in Great Britain and America during the eighteenth century, and was one of the driving forces behind the development of Georgian architecture. The book inspired two significant imitators, both of whom borrowed the title for their own publications. The first, in 1739, was published by Badeslade and Rocque, but featured mostly topographical views. Between 1765 and 1771, the architects Woolfe and Gandon issued their own two volume set as Vitruvius Britannicus Volumes IV and V. In style, their publication was a much closer fit to the Campbell originals, and featured some of the finest examples of architecture to have appeared in the 40 years between the two books.

Thomas White (c.1740-1775) was a British engraver and draughtsman, who worked mostly on architectural plates.

James Gandon (1743-1823) was a British architect, best known for the many classical and Palladian buildings he designed during the expansion and development of Dublin during the Georgian era. He was the joint author with John Woolfe of volumes 4 and 5 of Vitruvius Britannicus.

Colen Campbell (1676-1729) was a Scottish architect and architectural writer, credited as a founder of the Georgian style. He is best known as the author of Vitruvius Britannicus.

Condition: Central vertical fold, as issued. Minor time toning to sheet, particularly to central fold. Minor creasing and chipping to edges of sheet.
Framing unmounted
Price £150.00
Stock ID 50911

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