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Rvins of the palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia / by R. Adam F.R.S. F.S.A architect to the king and to the queen.
Athenaeum of Philadelphia - British Imprints Oversize 1764 Adam
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- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Adam, Robert, 1728-1792.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Palace of Diocletian (Split, Croatia).
- Architecture, Roman--Croatia--Split.
- Architecture, Roman.
- Palaces--Croatia--Split.
- Palaces.
- Split (Croatia)--Buildings, structures, etc.
- Split (Croatia).
- Split (Croatia)--Antiquities.
- Genre:
- Armorial bookplates (Provenance)
- Physical Description:
- iv, [8], 33, [1] p., [54] leaves of plates (some folded) : ill. (metal cuts), plans (metal cuts) ; 55 cm. (fol.)
- Other Title:
- Ruins of the palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia
- Place of Publication:
- [London] : Printed for the author, MDCCLXIIII [1764]
- Notes:
- Includes 61 engraved plates on [54] leaves, numbered I-LXI; engraved by F. Bartolozzi, Zucchi, P. Santini, E. Rooker, F. Patton, A. Walker, P. Mazell, J. Bassire and D. Cunego.
- According to Harris, it is unclear to what extent Adam can be credited with the responsibility for this work; she suggests that Clérisseau was responsible for creating at least most of one of the complete sets of drawings; the introduction, dedication and some of the plates' descriptive text were prepared by William Robertson. Cf. Harris.
- Apparently Clérisseau's "revenge" on Adam for his claim of authorship was to engrave the words "Iced iacet corpus Clerissi pictor" (Here lies the body of Clérisseau the painter) on the mausoleum entrance of Plate XXVIII. Cf. Millard Architectural Collection. British books.
- Colvin states that "Adam set out to revolutionize English domestic architecture, .... In place of the rigid grammar of the orders as described by Vitruvius and interpreted by Palladio, he substituted a new and elegant repetoire of architectural ornament based on a wide variety of classical sources ..."--Colvin, H. Biog. dictionary of architects, p. 47.
- Harris believes otherwise and states that there is little evidence to suggest that the 'Ruins' was in any way a manifesto against Palladianism; she writes "In the whole book there is really only one paragraph which comes close to revealing any polemical intention behind Adam's direct observation of antiquity, and even here what appears is much more of a reflection of the ideas of Clérisseau and Piranesi about the scenic virtues of ancient architecture, than any rejection of Palladian or Renaissance precedent."--Harris p. 81.
- Place of imprint is from ESTC.
- First and only edition recorded.
- "List of subscribers": [8] p., 2nd sequence.
- Although the format of 'Ruins' was modeled on Robert Wood's 'Palmyra' this work falls neither within the category of objective archaeological studies, nor within comprehensive analysis of classical architecture in context; it is according to Harris, "pseudo-archaeological". Cf. Harris; Millard Architectural Collection.
- Local Notes:
- Athenaeum copy: Gift of Robert L. Raley/Carpenters' Company Collection.
- Athenaeum copy: With armorial bookplate of "Victor Albert George Child Villers, Earl of Jersey Middleton Park" on front paste-down.
- Athenaeum copy: Binding is in full grain red morocco; gilt edges, gilt tooling and raised bands on spine; double borders and gilt ornamentation on covers.
- Athenaeum copy: Binder's title: Adam's Ruins of Spalatro.
- Athenaeum copy has 3 leaves of engraved plates depicting a plan and two elevations (dated 1791) of the University of Edinburgh, bound in before subscriber's list; engraved by F. Jukes and Harding after R. Adam.
- Cited in:
- ESTC(RLIN), T046923
- ESTC(RLIN), N064549
- Millard Architectural Collection. British books, 1
- Fowler, 2
- Harris, E. Brit. architectural books and writers, 4
- Berlin. Ornamentstichsammlung, 1893
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