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East India House, Leadenhall Street, City of London, c.1796
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Reference number
SM 13/6/2
Purpose
East India House, Leadenhall Street, City of London, c.1796
Aspect
[2] Finished wall plan and elevation of principal front
Soane office copy of a Dance drawing (SM 13/6/1), London, Leadenhall Street, East India House. SM 13/6/2. ©Sir John Soane's Museum, London. Photo: Ardon Bar-Hama
Scale
1/6 in to 1 ft
Inscribed
THE PLAN AND ELEVATION OF A DESIGN FOR THE FRONT OF EAST INDIA HOUSE
Signed and dated
- c.1796
Medium and dimensions
Pen, sepia, light Indian red, green earth, black and cream washes, shaded, watercolour technique, within a double ruled and grey wash border on laid paper (515 x 980)
Hand
office
Watermark
J Whatman
Notes
Not in Dance's hand, the plan and elevation are carefully drawn and finished with a clarity not usually found among Soane's office drawings. The support and lettering are typical but not the border, where the ruled lines are thinner than in other of Soane's office drawings. A watercolour technique is used to render the rain-washed texture of the masonry, a cloudy sky is faintly suggested, shading and cast shadows are finely done, and pencil underdrawing erased.
The design differs in some details from that shown in [SM 13/6/1]: the ground floor now has horizontally ruled rustication and the semicircular-headed openings are voussoired; the first floor windows of the five end bays are pedimented; the festoons between the capitals have gone; the attic pilasters are plain not panelled; the balustrade has gone and the roofs to the end five bays are shown; the wall behind the pediment has been removed and at the apex of the pediment a broad acroterion supports the East India Company's heraldic device.
The 'cleaning up' of the front along with a drier drawing style gives a graver, more sober appearance than the preliminary design.
The design differs in some details from that shown in [SM 13/6/1]: the ground floor now has horizontally ruled rustication and the semicircular-headed openings are voussoired; the first floor windows of the five end bays are pedimented; the festoons between the capitals have gone; the attic pilasters are plain not panelled; the balustrade has gone and the roofs to the end five bays are shown; the wall behind the pediment has been removed and at the apex of the pediment a broad acroterion supports the East India Company's heraldic device.
The 'cleaning up' of the front along with a drier drawing style gives a graver, more sober appearance than the preliminary design.
Level
Drawing
Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation
If you have any further information about this object, please contact us: drawings@soane.org.uk