Design for a Chimneypiece (recto); Sketches for Column Bases (verso)
1740–1800
Medium
Recto: pen and brown and red ink, brush and yellow-green wash Verso: graphite
Dimensions
sheet: 9 7/16 x 11 11/16 in. (24 x 29.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.56.36
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite double-sided drawing by Sir William Chambers, a 18th-century British architect, showcases his meticulous design process for architectural ornament. On the recto, a refined chimneypiece—likely intended for a grand interior—emerges in pen and brown and red ink, enhanced by brush and yellow-green for subtle color and depth. The verso features quick graphite sketches of column bases, revealing Chambers' iterative approach to classical motifs during the Neoclassical revival (ca. 1740–1800). Chambers, influenced by his travels in France and Italy, championed symmetry and proportion i...
About the Artist
Sir William Chambers · 1723–1796
### Sir William Chambers (1723–1796) Born on 23 February 1723 in Gothenburg, Sweden, to parents of Scottish descent—his father a merchant—Sir William Chambers embarked on an extraordinary path that bridged continents and cultures. At just 16, after initial education in England, he joined the Swedish East India Company, undertaking three voyages to China in the 1740s. These journeys profoundly sha...