to a scale

View of the South West Angle. / Court of King's Bench. / N^o. 7 (erased)

• 01/09/1826 - 30/09/1826
  Sep[tembe]^r. 1826.

Pencil, coloured washes including raw umber and sepia, within single ruled border on laid paper (265 x 442) mounted on buff sugar paper bound in volume (341 x 532)

Probably Gandy, Joseph Michael (1771--1843), draughtsman

This view records a variant treatment for additional seating behind the Court’s west and east walls. Both areas on the drawing show signs of erasure and reworking, with suggestions that a series of three arch-headed openings were originally proposed; echoing those at the gallery level above. The north (right-hand) wall is pierced by three evenly-spaced openings, topped by a lintel supported by horizontal consoles beneath and bordered with a three-quarter engaged cable moulding. Alternatively, the south (left-hand) wall is pierced by five openings, with an alternating wide and narrow rhythm. Above these runs a separate projecting cornice supported by vertical consoles; a design echoing the features of the portals in the walls at this point (see SM Vol 61/44). A sketched elevation detail of these occurs in the right-hand margin, accompanied by a detail elevation of the gallery’s balustrade, which is shown within the arches in the east and south walls. Behind the variant openings are two additional rows of benches, their fronts projecting via a quadrant curve into the Court.

Drawing

Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation. This catalogue of Soane’s designs for the New Law Courts was generously funded by The Worshipful Company of Mercers and The Pilgrim Trust.

If you have any further information about this object, please contact us: drawings@soane.org.uk