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. Composed, Etched and Engraved in Aquatinta By George Richardson, Architect ... Nouveau Recueil De Cheminées Ornées Dans le Stile De l'Architecture Etrusque, Grecque, & Romaine, Contenant Trente Six Desseins, Sortables aux appartements les plus elegants; Avec Les Descriptions des Planches en Anglois & en François.
Nouveau Recueil De Cheminées Ornées Dans le Stile De l'Architecture Etrusque, Grecque, & Romaine
Imprint
London:: Printed for the Author,, MDCCLXXXI.
Physical Description
[ii], 16 p., 36 pl.; 491 mm. (Folio).
Contents
[T.p., dedic.] - Introduction - Description Of The Plates - [Plates].
Responsibility Note
All except the first five plates are signed 'G. Richardson Archt.'
The work is dedicated by the author to Sir Lawrence Dundas.
References
RIBA, Early printed books, 3 (1999), no. 2755, p.1641; National Gallery (Washington), Mark J. Millard, II (1998), 67; E. Harris and N. Savage, British Architectural Books (1990), 740; J. Archer, Literature of British domestic architecture (1985), 431.1; Life in England in aquatint and lithography ... library of J.R. Abbey (1953/R1972, 1991), no. 57, p.42-3; A. Laing, 'The eighteenth-century English chimneypiece', in The fashioning and functioning of the British country house, ed. G. Jackson-Stops (1989), p. 241-54; J. Wilton-Ely, 'Pompeian and Etruscan tastes in the Neo-classical country house interior', in Conference Proceedings, The Fashioning and Functioning of the British Country House: Washington, 1985, p. 51-73. On the beginnings of aquatint printing see A. Griffiths, 'Notes on early aquatint in England and France', in Prt. Q., IV (1987), p. 255-70.
ESTC, T90836
Summary Note
Like Richardson's A Book of Ceilings (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.
Provenance
Purchased new from the author for £4 4s. (see payments dated 25 June 1778 and 29 June 1781, RA Cashbook 1769-1795).
Binding Note
19th-century half calf, green cloth-covered boards, spine lettered 'R.A. 1781', red morocco spine-label lettered 'Richardson Chimney Pieces'.
Subject
Fireplaces - Mantels - Great Britain - History - 18th century - Neoclassical
Designs - Pattern books - Great Britain - 18th century
Pictorial works - Aquatints - Great Britain - 18th century