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An appeal to the public, occasioned by the suspension of the architectural lectures in the Royal Academy. To which is subjoined an account of a critical work, published a few years ago, entitled, "The Exhibition; Or, A Second Anticipation:" with observations on modern Anglo-Grecian architecture; and remarks on the mischievous tendency of the present speculative system of building, &c. In letters to a friend. Illustrated with engravings, by John Soane, architect, F.A.S. Member of the academies of Parma and Florence; architect to the Bank of England, and to the Royal Hospital at Chelsea.
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Soane, Sir John (1753--1837). Designs for Public and Private Buildings - Criticism
An appeal to the public, occasioned by the suspension of the architectural lectures in the Royal Academy. To which is subjoined an account of a critical work, published a few years ago, entitled, "The Exhibition; Or, A Second Anticipation:" with observations on modern Anglo-Grecian architecture; and remarks on the mischievous tendency of the present speculative system of building, &c. In letters to a friend. Illustrated with engravings, by John Soane, architect, F.A.S. Member of the academies of Parma and Florence; architect to the Bank of England, and to the Royal Hospital at Chelsea.
London (Place), printed for William Miller, by James Moyes,, 1812.
xi, [1], 116 p., 10 engr. pl. (5 aquat.) ; 31.5 cm. (4°)
Inscribed in ink on title-page Not published. As a result of his criticism of Covent Garden Theatre, 1809 by Robert Smirke (1780--1867) in his fourth Royal Academy lecture on 29 January 1810, Soane's lectures were temporarily suspended leading to a prolonged dispute which was only finally resolved in 1813. Soane's intentions in producing this work were to vindicate his position as Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy; to summarize the history of what he regarded as the Academy's persecution of him since 1810; to attack Robert Smirke, Snr. joint editor of The Exhibition (q.v.) (a critique of contemporary artists published in 1779, an account of which is subjoined to the present work) and again condemn his son's Covent Garden Theatre; to criticize contemporary speculative building; and to present himself as a misunderstood figure. See David Watkin, Sir John Soane: Enlightenment thought and the Royal Academy Lectures (Cambridge 1996), pp. 74--97. A draft for part of the book dated 17 March 1810 survives in the Soane archive (MBiii/2/27). The work evidently continued to preoccupy Soane, as there is also a bill from James Moyes dated 23 January 1815 for 'reprinting, on fine large wove royal, signatures N, O, and P of ... "An Appeal," &c. - also pages 19, 20, 95, and 96 of ditto - No. 250' for £16 19s. 6d. in March 1812; and for 'printing the title, Preface, and Appendix of the above work - two sheets', £9 4s. 0d., 're-composing the above two sheets', £3 13s. 0d., 'Corrections', £5 12s. 0d., 'printing 25 copies of ten copper-plates', £2 0s. 0d., 'putting 25 copies ... in extra boards', £2 10s. 0d., and 'Three deal boxes for ditto', 13s. 6d. on 21 January 1815. (Spiers Box: Purchases through personal friends).
Copy Notes Inscribed in ink on front free-endpaper John Soane. A further eighteen copies unopened in boards are in the Soane archive (Mandelbrote Packet 5), as is a box of loose sheets (Archive Box 19).
Binding Original C19th grey paper boards, later paper spine-label inscribed in ink 'Soane's Appeal / not publishd'.
Reference Number 6476
Additional Names Shanhagan, Roger, pseud; Smirke, Robert (1780--1867)
An appeal to the public, occasioned by the suspension of the architectural lectures in the Royal Academy. To which is subjoined an account of a critical work, published a few years ago, entitled, "The Exhibition; Or, A Second Anticipation:" with observations on modern Anglo-Grecian architecture; and remarks on the mischievous tendency of the present speculative system of building, &c. In letters to a friend. Illustrated with engravings, by John Soane, architect, F.A.S. Member of the academies of Parma and Florence; architect to the Bank of England, and to the Royal Hospital at Chelsea.
London (Place), printed for William Miller, by James Moyes,, 1812.
xi, [1], 116 p., 10 engr. pl. (5 aquat.) ; 31.5 cm. (4°)
Inscribed in ink on title-page Not published. As a result of his criticism of Covent Garden Theatre, 1809 by Robert Smirke (1780--1867) in his fourth Royal Academy lecture on 29 January 1810, Soane's lectures were temporarily suspended leading to a prolonged dispute which was only finally resolved in 1813. Soane's intentions in producing this work were to vindicate his position as Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy; to summarize the history of what he regarded as the Academy's persecution of him since 1810; to attack Robert Smirke, Snr. joint editor of The Exhibition (q.v.) (a critique of contemporary artists published in 1779, an account of which is subjoined to the present work) and again condemn his son's Covent Garden Theatre; to criticize contemporary speculative building; and to present himself as a misunderstood figure. See David Watkin, Sir John Soane: Enlightenment thought and the Royal Academy Lectures (Cambridge 1996), pp. 74--97. A draft for part of the book dated 17 March 1810 survives in the Soane archive (MBiii/2/27). The work evidently continued to preoccupy Soane, as there is also a bill from James Moyes dated 23 January 1815 for 'reprinting, on fine large wove royal, signatures N, O, and P of ... "An Appeal," &c. - also pages 19, 20, 95, and 96 of ditto - No. 250' for £16 19s. 6d. in March 1812; and for 'printing the title, Preface, and Appendix of the above work - two sheets', £9 4s. 0d., 're-composing the above two sheets', £3 13s. 0d., 'Corrections', £5 12s. 0d., 'printing 25 copies of ten copper-plates', £2 0s. 0d., 'putting 25 copies ... in extra boards', £2 10s. 0d., and 'Three deal boxes for ditto', 13s. 6d. on 21 January 1815. (Spiers Box: Purchases through personal friends).
Copy Notes Inscribed in ink on front free-endpaper John Soane. A further eighteen copies unopened in boards are in the Soane archive (Mandelbrote Packet 5), as is a box of loose sheets (Archive Box 19).
Binding Original C19th grey paper boards, later paper spine-label inscribed in ink 'Soane's Appeal / not publishd'.
Reference Number 6476
Additional Names Shanhagan, Roger, pseud; Smirke, Robert (1780--1867)