Study of a Corinthian capital and base from the Temple of Vespasian, Rome, ca. 1880-90

Richard Phené Spiers (1838 - 1916)

RA Collection: Art

This beautifully rendered pen-and-wash drawing of one of the three surviving Corinthian capitals of the Temple of Vespasian in Rome (formerly known as the Temple of Jupiter Tonant), epitomises the high standard of draughtsmanship taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris throughout the 19th century. Richard Phené Spiers had learnt how to draw in this meticulous manner as a pupil in the atelier of C.A. Questel between 1858 and 1861. This example of Spiers' skill as a draughtsman became particularly well-known because it was reproduced as the frontispiece to his book The Orders of Architecture, Greek, Roman and Italian, a standard textbook for architectural students that went through at least five editions between 1890 and 1926. Following his appointment as Master of the School of Architecture at the Royal Academy in 1870, Spiers played a key role in introducing Beaux-Arts teaching methods to this country.