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[349] Survey on completion, Court of King's Bench, c 1826-29
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Reference number
P281
Purpose
[349] Survey on completion, Court of King's Bench, c 1826-29
Aspect
Perspective of the interior of the main (ground) floor of the Court of King's Bench, with furnishings, viewed from the west wall behind the tribunal looking east, as designed and part-executed
Scale
to a scale
Signed and dated
- c 1826-29
Medium and dimensions
Pencil, wash, coloured washes including raw umber, burnt sienna, blue and Indian Red, pen, on wove paper (unframed dimensions, 952 x 728)
Hand
Joseph Michael Gandy ARA (1771 - 1843), draughtsman
Verso
not inspected
Notes
The drawing is clearly a finely worked-up version of SM Vol 61/45, which gives almost exactly the same view onto the Court room. The variant treatment of the lower level openings is here, however, made consistent, with vertical consoles supporting the cornice over the latter. The vista has been increased at the top to include additional details of the lantern light, whose complex form is worthy of note. The dark green figures of kings were never installed, and like the allegorical busts in P274, represent a decorative foray by Soane into figural sculpture. They intermittently occur in design drawings for this Court (see SM 53/3/7), and were perhaps inspired by the mediaeval figures of kings on the south wall of Westminster Hall, which were incorporated into William Kent's courtrooms.
Level
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