Examples Of The Architecture Of Venice Selected and drawn to Measurement from the Edifices. By John Ruskin, Author Of "The Stones Of Venice," "The Seven Lamps Of Architecture," "Modern Painters," Etc.

John Ruskin

RA Collection: Book

Record number

06/4395

Author

Variant Title

Stones of Venice

Imprint

George Allen, Sunnyside,, Orpington, Kent.: MDCCCLXXXVII.

Physical Description

[44] p., 15 pl. [i.e. 16 pl. including bis pl. 5]; 627 mm.

Contents

[Half-t., t.p.] - [Divisional t.p., 'Examples, Etc. Illustrative Of The Stones Of Venice. By John Ruskin. Descriptions Of The Plates'] - '[Original advice, reprinted from the end of the first edition (about March, 1851), of the first volume of the "Stones of Venice."] Mr Ruskin's Illustrations Of "The Stones Of Venice." Preparing For Publication. In Twelve Parts, Folio Imperial size. Price One Guinea each. Examples Of The Architecture Of Venice ... Prospectus' - Preface To The First Edition (1851) - Contents (incl. 'List Of Plates. 1(-15.)') - [Plates and descriptive texts].

Responsibility Note

All plates are signed 'J. Ruskin' bottom left. Plate 1 is also signed 'Aq. fort. T. Boys' bottom centre and 'S.Reynolds' bottom right; plates 2, 6, 11, 'Aq. fort. T. Boys' bottom centre and 'Thos. Lupton' bottom right; plates 3, 4, 9, 12, 14, 15, 'G. Rosenthal lith.' bottom right and 'Hanhart imp.' bottom centre; plates 5, 5B, 7, 'R.P. Cuff' bottom right; plate 8, 'T.S. Boys' bottom right; plates 10, 13, 'J.C. Armytage' bottom right.

The verso of the front loose endpaper is stamped 'De Coverly.'

References

Travel In Aquatint And Lithography 1770-1860 From The Library Of J.R. Abbey ... A Bibliographical Survey (repr. 1991), v.I. no. 174, p.155-6 [on the 1851 edition].

S. Quill, Ruskin's Venice: the stones revisited (2000); J. Clegg, Ruskin and Venice (1981); J. Ruskin, Ruskin's Venice, ed. A. Whittick (1976); K.O. Garrigan, Ruskin on architecture: his thought and influence (1973).

A study of the use of photography in art history was W.M. Freitag, 'Early uses of photography in the history of art', in Art journal (Winter 1979-80), p.117-23.

On Ruskin and the publisher Allen see B. Maidment, 'George Allen: George Allen and Company Limited', in British literary publishing houses 1820-1880, ed. P.J. Anderson and J. Rose (= Dictionary of literary biography, 106) (1991) p. 6-11; B. Maidment, John Ruskin and George Allen [dissertation, Univy. Leicester] (1973); B. Maidment, 'Only print: Ruskin and the publishers', in Durham University journal, 63:3 (1970-1), p.196-207.

Summary Note

This book of plates had first been published in three parts in 1851, to accompany the first volume of Ruskin's The stones of Venice; in which the critic expressed his appreciation of the Romanesque and Gothic buildings of that city, and extended to the field of architecture the concern for blending aesthetic with spiritual and ethical values which he had already begun to express in his writings on painting.

The plates are captioned, and show: 1. The Ducal Palace. Twentieth Capital.; 2. Arabian Windows, In Campo Santa Maria Mater Domini; 3. Byzantine Capitals. From Torcello And Saint Mark's.; 4. Cornice And Mouldings. From A Tomb In The Church Of SS. Giovanni E Paolo; 5. The Ducal Palace. Compartments Of The Southern Balcony.; 5B. The Ducal Palace. Sections Of The Southern Balcony.; 6. St. Mark's. Southern Portico.; 7. St. Mark's. Details Of The Lily Capitals.; 8. Byzantine Ruin. In Rio Di Ca' Foscari.; 9. Byzantine Ruin. In Rio Di Ca' Foscari.; 10. Palace In Rio Di Ca' Foscari. Conjectural Restoration.; 11. Door Heads. From Ca' Contarini Porta Di Ferro; And In Campo S. Margherita; 12. Door Heads. 1. In Ramo Dirimpetto Mocenigo.; 13. Door Heads. 2. In Campiello Della Chiesa, San Luca.; 14. Ca' Bernardo Mocenigo. Capital Of Window Shafts.; 15. The Ducal Palace. Renaissance Capitals Of The Loggia.

The engravings include mezzotints and tinted lithographs. In the 'Preface To The First Edition (1851)' Ruskin states that the plates are copies not of daguerrotypes but of his own drawings, but adds, 'I have used the help of the daguerrotype without scruple in completing many of the mezzotinted subjects for the present series'.

Provenance

Purchased for RA Library in 1887 (see RA Annual Report for 1887, p. 42).

Binding Note

20th-century half brown morocco, brown cloth-covered boards; gilt-decorated spine, lettered 'Examples Of The Architecture Of Venice - Ruskin', 'R.A.' and '1887'. The original publisher's burgundy cloth portfolio is separately filed (RA Inv. no. 13/2110).

Subject

Architecture - Architecture details - Capitals - Mouldings - Palaces - Houses - Churches - Italy - Veneto - Venice - History - Romanesque - Gothic
Art history - Great Britain - 19th century
Pictorial works - Mezzotints - Lithographs - Great Britain - 19th century

Contributors

George Allen, publisher
John Ruskin, draughtsman
Thomas Shotter Boys, engraver
Samuel William Reynolds jun., engraver
Thomas Lupton, engraver
G. Rosenthal, lithographer
Nicholas Hanhart, lithographic printer
Michael Hanhart, lithographic printer
R. Parminster Cuff, engraver
James Charles Armytage, engraver
De Coverly, binder?
M. and N. Hanhart (London), lithographic printer