ART. VI. The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam, Ef quires. No. I. Containing part of the Defigns of Sion Houfe, a magnificent Seat of his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, in the County of Middlesex. Folio. Imperial Paper. 1 l. I s.

Becket. 1773.

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LEGANCE and fplendour unite to characterize this fpecimen of a defign which, we doubt not, will add greatly to the honour already derived to the name of Adam, from the productions of the prefs, as well as from the noble edifices which bear irrefragable teftimony to the merit of thefe diftinguished mafters in the architectural walk.

There is an air of grandeur, as well as beauty, in many of the plans exhibited by thefe artifts; joined to a freedom of invention, which is the great characteristic of genius.

- The author of an Effay on Architecture, published fome years ago at Paris, has obferved that all the moderns, excepting Cordemoi†, have done no more than commented on Vitruvius, who merely taught us what was the practice of his time;but, obferves this Effayift, in all arts which are not meerly mechanical, it is not enough barely to know how to work; an artist should also know how to think. He fhould be able to give a reafon for every thing he does; to which end his judgment" ought to be determined by fixed principles, on which he can juftify his choice, in all inftances; drawing every precept from the rules of reafon and the natural laws of beauty.

There is no doubt that the fcience of architecture hath fuffered greatly by the incapacity of thofe imitators who have collected and laid down rules at a venture, from the bare infpec-" tion of ancient buildings; copying the faults as implicitly as the beauties of their models. Unable to make diftinctions, for want of being themfelves well-founded in principles, they have" taken examples for laws; and their leffons have therefore only ferved to mislead their followers, and propagate error instead of inftruction.

*The Reader may here be referred, in particular, to The Ruins of the Emperor Dioclefian's Palace, at Spalatro in Dalmatia: fee Review, vol. xxxi. (for the year 1764) p. 70: a work which defervedly ranks with the celebrated Ruins of Palmyra, and the Antiquities of Athens.—' And now that we mention the latter of thofe fplendid performances, it is with pleafure that we can add, for the information of our Readers, that Mr. Stuart is confiderably advanced in the fecond vo-' lume of that curious and claffical production.

This gentleman wrote a fhort treatife on Architecture, which, according to the Effayift above-quoted (for we have not feen the book) contains excellent principles and obfervations; but he was too much cramped in his deductions, by the narrow limits of his work. REV. Dec. 1773. Gg

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Meffrs. Adam, in their preface to this work, boldly difclaim all fuch fervility. The novelty and variety, fay they, of the following defigns, will, we flatter ourselves not only excufe but juftify our conduct, in communicating them to the world. We have not trod in the paths of others, nor derived aid from their labours. In the works which we have had the honour to execute, we have not only met with the approbation of our employers, but even with the imitation of other artifts, to fuch a degree, as in fome measure to have brought about, in this 'country, a kind of revolution in the whole fiftem of this useful and elegant art.'-This is talking in a lofty ftyle indeed! and we are the more forry for it, as the ingenious Authors have left us fo much the lefs to fay in their praife: they have hereby de-, prived us of fome part of our pleasure, by shortening the walk which we gladly feize every opportunity of taking,, in the pleafant and flowery field of panegyric,

We have to thank thefe gentlemen, however, for the gratification afforded us by their prefatory discourse, the notes to which abound with fuch explanations of fome peculiar terms of the art to which it relates, as would, we are perfuaded, prove both entertaining and instructive to the majority of our Readers, could we fpare room for a tranfcript of the whole :-but an abridgment muft fuffice.

In their remarks on the prefent ftate of architecture in this country, our Authors have no retrospect to any part of its hiftory, previous to the late changes it has undergone." By changes is here meant, a remarkable improvement, within these few years, in the form, convenience, arrangement, and relief of apartments; a greater movement * and

variety

This may, perhaps, be thought rather too affuming. Men hazard nothing by speaking with referve of their own defert. Modeft merit will always have juftice done it, by the discernment and candour of the Public.

• Movement is meant to exprefs the rife and fall, the advance and recefs, with other diverfity of form, in the different parts of a building, fo as to add greatly to the picturefque of the compofition. For the rifing and falling, advancing and receding, with the convexity and concavity, and other forms of the great parts, have the fame ef fect in architecture, that hill and dale, fore-ground and diftance, fwelling and finking, have in landfcape: that is, they ferve to produce an agreeable and diverfified contour, that groups and contrafts like a picture, and creates a variety of light and fhade, which gives great fpirit, beauty, and effect, to the compofition.'

At the clofe of the note from which we have extracted the foregoing paffage, our Authors have generously taken upon them to do juftice to the memory of a great man, whofe reputation as an architect, has been long carried down the stream by a torrent of un

diftinguishing

variety in the outfide compofition; and in the decoration of the infide, an almoft total change.'The maffive entablature, the ponderous compartment cieling t, the tabernacle frame,

diftinguishing prejudice and abuse.Sir John Vanbrugh's genius was of the first clafs; and in point of movement, novelty, and ingenuity, his works have not been exceeded by any thing in modern times. We should certainly have quoted Blenheim and Cafle Howard as great examples of these perfections, in preference to any work of our own, or of any other modern architect; but unluckily for the reputation of this excellent artist, his tafte kept no pace with his genius, and his works are fo crouded with barbarisms and abfurdities, and fo borne down by their own prepofterous weight, that none but the difcerning can feparate their merits from their defects. In the hands of the ingenious artist, who knows how to polish, and refine, and bring them into ufe, we have always regarded his productions as rough jewels of inestimable value.'

+ Compartment cieling, a name given to all cielings that are divided into various pannels, furrounded with mouldings; a mode to which we do not here mean to object, there being many beautiful compofitions of this kind, both ancient and modern: but the epithet of ponderous is applied to diftinguifh thofe that were in ufe in this country, during the last century, from thofe of the prefent times; the ftyle of the former being of a moft enormous weight and depth.

Thefe abfurd componitions took their rife in Italy, under the first of their modern malters, who were, no doubt, led into that idea from the obfervations of the foffits ufed by the ancients in the porticos of their temples and other public works. Thefe the ancients, with their ufual skill and judgment, kept of a bold and maffive ftyle, fuiting them to the ftrength, magnitude, and height of the building, and making an allowance for their being on the exterior part, and adjoining to other great objects; all which ferved to diminish and lighten the effect of thefe compartments. But on the infide of their edifices, the ancients were extremely careful to proportion both the fize and depth of their compartments and pannels, to the distance from the eye, and the objects with which they were to be compared; and, with regard to the decoration of their private and bathing apartments, they were all delicacy, gaiety, grace, and beauty. If the Reader is defirous to examine more minutely into these truths, let him confult the Rotunda, the Temple of Peace, the Ruins of Adrian's Villa, the Palace of the Emperors, and other Cryptæ at Rome, with the inimitable remains on the Baian shore.→ We fhall only add, that from this mistake of the first modern Italian artifts, all Europe has been milled, and has been fervilely groaning under this load for three centuries paft.

Michael Angelo, Raphael, Pyrro Ligerio, Dominichino, Georgio Vafare, and Algardi, with great taste and knowledge, threw off thefe prejudices, and boldly aimed at restoring the antique.

But at this time the rage of painting became fo prevalent in Italy, that instead of following thefe great examples, they covered every cieling with large frefco compofitions, which, though extremely

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frame I, almost the only fpecies of ornament formerly known in this country, are now univerfally exploded, and in their place, we have adopted a beautiful variety of light mouldings, gracefully formed, delicately enriched, and arranged with propriety and kill. We have introduced a great variety of cielings, freezes, and decorated pilafters, and have added grace and beauty to the whole, by a mixture of grotefque * ftucco, and

fine, and well painted, were very much misplaced, and must neceffarily, from the attitude in which they are beheld, tire the patience of every fpectator. Great compofitions fhould be placed fo as to be viewed with ease. Grotefque ornaments and figures, in any fitua tion, are perceived with the glance of an eye, and require little examination.

The heavy compartment cielings were afterwards adopted in France; and Le Potre adorned them with all the trappings of his luxurious imagination. Inigo Jones introduced them into England, with as much weight, but lefs fancy and embellishment.

Vanbrugh, Campbell, and Gibbs, followed too implicitly the authority of this great name. Kent's genius for the picturefque, and the vaft reputation he defervedly acquired, made him in fome mea fure withstand this prevalent, abufe: he has much merit in being the first who began to lighten his compartments, and to introduce grotefque paintings with his ornaments in ftucco. His works, however, are evidently thofe of a beginner. Mr. Stuart, with his ufual elegance and tafte, has contributed greatly toward introducing the true ftyle of antique decoration; and it feems to have been referved for the prefent times to fee compartment cielings, and thofe of every -kind, carried to a degree of perfection in Great Britain, that far furpaffes any of the former attempts of other modern nations."

Tabernacle frame, a collective term, made ufe of by English 'artifts to exprefs the whole dreffing of a door, window, nich, or chimney, when the dreffing confifts of columns or pilafters with an entablature and pediments over them. This feems not to have been borrowed from the Latin, Italian, or French; the ufual fources from whence our technical phrafes flow. We are, therefore, of opinion, that it has taken its rife in this country, from the general custom of decorating all the altar-pieces of our churches in this style.

In Roman Catholic countries, that part of the altar where the cup containing the Hoft is placed, is called tabernacle; and by an cafy tranfition, from a part to the whole, we have given the altarpiece the name of tabernacle.

This piece of decoration, which is extremely noble and beautiful, when well compofed, is only condemned from its mifapplication and frequent repetition in infide finishing, where it is by much too heavy and bold to admit of the gay and the elegant, unless in very great apartments.'

By grotesque is meant that beautiful light ftyle of ornament ufed by the ancient Romans, in the decoration of their palaces, baths,

and

and painted ornaments, together with the flowing rainçeau †, with its fanciful figures, and winding foliage.'

Without prefuming to decry the compofitions of others, many of whom are here acknowledged to deferve great praise, our Authors flatter themselves that they have a claim to approbation from this circumftance that they have been laudably ambitious to feize' (they hope with fome degree of fuccefs) the beautiful fpirit of antiquity, and to transfufe it, with novelty and variety, through all their numerous works.'-Praise is undoubtedly due to them, not only for the spirit with which they have ventured into the great line of their art, but for the attention which they have paid to the beauties of decoration: for it is certain that, heretofore, our national tafte, and ftyle of ornament, stood in great need of improvement. In this respect the merit of their prefent undertaking will not be strictly confined within the immediate province of architecture; for they have extended their defign fo far as to comprehend the various kinds of ornamental furniture: fome very elegant specimens of which are given in the publication now before us.

A few copies, we learn, are coloured with the tints used in the execution, not only that pofterity might be enabled to judge, with accuracy, concerning the tafte of the present age, and that foreign connoiffeurs may have it in their power to indulge their curiofity with refpect to our national ftyle of ornament; but that the public in general might have an opportu

and villas. It is alfo to be feen in fome of their amphitheatres, temples, and tombs; the greatest part of which being vaulted and covered with ruins, have been dug up and cleared by the modern Italians, who, for thefe reafons, give them the name of Grotte, which is perhaps a corruption of the Latin Crypte, a word borrowed from the Greeks, as the Romans did most of their terms in architecture; and hence the modern word grotesque, and the English word grotto, fignifying a cave.

This claffical ftyle of ornament, by far the most perfect that has ever appeared for infide decorations, and which has itood the test of many ages, like other works of genius. requires not only fancy and imagination in the compofition, but tafte and judgment in the application; and when thefe are happily combined, this gay and elegant mode is capable of inimitable beauties.'

+ Rainceau, apparently derived from rain, an old French word, fignifying the branch of a tree. This French term is also used by the artifts of this country, to exprefs the winding and twifling of the Acanthus plant; which flowing round in many graceful turnings, fpreads its foliage with great beauty and variety, and is often intermixed with human figures, animals, and birds, imaginary or real; alfo with flowers and fruits.'

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