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Capriccio showing a ruined interior (possibly catacombs) with a series of cineraria in wall niches, a large sarcophagus on a decorated stepped base, and a doorway with the lintel inscribed 'Divo Avg'.
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Reference number
Adam vol.56/141
Purpose
Capriccio showing a ruined interior (possibly catacombs) with a series of cineraria in wall niches, a large sarcophagus on a decorated stepped base, and a doorway with the lintel inscribed 'Divo Avg'.
Aspect
Perspective
Inscribed
Inscribed in ink 105; in red ink on album leaf and on drawing 141.
Signed and dated
- Undated, probably 1756 or 1757.
Medium and dimensions
Pencil, pen, brown and grey washes; ink framing line230 x 346, 4 corners trimmed diagonally
Hand
Robert Adam
Verso
Two circles, drawn in wash.
Watermark
countermark
Notes
The elaborate, free-standing sarcophagus on its tiered and decorated base is unlike others depicted in this set of drawings, the closest being that shown in Adam vol.56/88. The underground room, often under water, with a curving central pier, is a familiar theme in several of Robert Adam's classical capricci, and can be seen, for example, in a set in the Sir John Soane Museum (SM Drawer 67/7/6, 9, 10) and in Adam vol.55/42 and 55/79. The inscription 'Divo Avg' above the door on the right of the composition is also found in expanded form in Adam vol.56/147.
Level
Drawing
Exhibition history
The Adam Brothers in Rome: Drawings from the Grand Tour, Sir John Soane's Museum, London, 25 September 2008 - 14 February 2009
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