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Design for a gateway at Blenheim Palace (recto)

Maker

(artist)
1661-1736

Formerly attributed to
John Vanbrugh (artist)
1664-1726

Title

Date of Production

1720

Medium

graphite, pen and brown ink, grey wash, the two domes added on separate strips of paper (recto), pen and brown ink (verso), on laid paper

Dimensions

Height: 21.5 cm
Width: 30.1 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.3223

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

Some architects have claimed that their first thoughts for a building are always put down in the form of ruled drawings made to scale. Hawksmoor's first thoughts, however, frequently took the form of drawings such as this, in a spontaneous, free-hand style. Here we can see the developments of his ideas as, for example, his original intention for two obelisks to surmount the piers was replaced by two small domes, drawn onto scraps of paper stuck over the earlier part of the sketch.

Notes

Kerry Downes (in the Whitechapel catalogue) reattributed this to Hawksmoor and suggested this may be a design for the Woodstock Gate.

Provenance

Jacob Isaacs (1896-1973); Colnaghi (London); acquired there (in exchange) by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, after February 1941; Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Hawksmoor, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 23/03/1977-01/05/1977

Architectural Drawings from the Witt Collection, University of Nottingham, 01/05/1972-01/06/1972

Drawings from the Witt Collection, University of Southampton, 16/02/1970-04/03/1970 ...More

Hawksmoor: an exhibition of models, drawings and recent photographs, organised in conjunction with the Hawksmoor Committee's campaign for preserving Christ Church, Spitalfields and St. Anne's, Limehouse, 4 St James's Square, London, 1962

Architectural Drawings from the Witt Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/07/1961-01/10/1961

Architectural and decorative drawings, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 30/01/1941-28/02/1941 ...Less

Literature

Architectural and decorative drawings, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1941
cat. no. 49
pl. IV

Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 25

Downes, Kerry, Hawksmoor, 1959
no. 438 and pp. 201ff
pl. 80a ...More

Architectural Drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1961
cat. no. 20

Hawksmoor, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1977
no. 24 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto (all within drawing, brown ink): in tablet above arch: "L. DVCI.DE / MARLB. MDCCXX"; lower right: "7.6. 71.6 / 8.0"; lower right: "x x / 2. 2". Verso of two strips of paper added to recto, visible via transmitted light: pen and brown ink: "p" "20" "5" and "3" in various positions. Verso: upper left, brown ink: "Gate Ways"; upper right, graphite, hard to read: "22-0 7.0 / 3 - [?] / 2-7"; upper right, graphite: "14-10 / 13-0 / 0 / 3-0"; centre, brown ink: "12"; centre, graphite: "11"; lower left, graphite: "11.0"; lower left edge, brown ink: "29-10-„0"; lower right, graphite: "Design at Blenheim / drawing by Sir John Vainbuy".

Collector's mark: Verso: lower left corner, stamped in black: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

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