Design for a Chimneypiece with Ionic columns, a Frieze, and Cornice
1743–96
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, over graphite
Dimensions
sheet: 11 1/4 x 14 5/16 in. (28.5 x 36.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1934
Accession Number
34.78.2(6)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Sir William Chambers, a leading neoclassical architect of the th century, created this exquisite design for a chimneypiece around the mid-1700s, during his formative years studying classical architecture on the Grand Tour of Europe. Born in Sweden to Scottish parents, Chambers rose to prominence in Britain, designing landmarks like Somerset House and the Kew Gardens pagoda. This drawing exemplifies his passion for antiquity, featuring Ionic columns—slender and elegant with volute capitals—flanked by a detailed frieze and cornice, evoking the grandeur of ancient Roman and Greek fireplaces adapt...
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...