with bar scale

Bagnaria, seat of the Duke of Lanti near Viterbo and dimensions given

Pencil and some pen, pen inscriptions (red sealing wax on bottom corners of versos) on laid paper (Italian made) (505 x 384)

Soane

This pencil drawing with some pen additions is less finished than most of the other measured drawings of Italian buildings. It has a rough bar scale that is divided into 10 parts. Roman palmi are divided by 12 parts. The dimensions correspond with the scale and include fractions: 1/4, 6/8, 1/2, 7/8 and so on. The scale happens to correspond to a scale of Veronese feet (that are divided by 10) found on Gaetano Avesani's drawing of the Palazzo Pelegrini, Verona, (see SM 44/10/1). Perhaps a coincidence, and Viterbo is nearer to Rome than to Verona but in any case, the use of what seems to be an Italian scale suggests that it is a copy.

Bagnaia lies east of Viterbo which is about 45 miles north of Rome. The Villa Lante consists of two square pavilions, the first built in the second half of the 16th century for Cardinal Gambara and the other by the subsequent owner, Cardinal Alessandro Peretti di Montalto. According to du Prey, 'Except for differing heraldic devices in the metopes... the facades facing the terrace-garden are identical'. The dimensions of the two pavilions are the same though the plans differ. The overall design of both the well known Mannerist gardens and of the villa treated as twin garden buildings is attributed to Vignola.

P.du Prey, John Soane's architectural education 1753-80, 1977, pp.265-6

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