Great Court of Greenwich Hospital. Vitruvius Britannicus, British architecture c1725.

$550.00

Rare antique print of Greenwich Hospital, London c1725. Classical architectural design. The Elevation of one Wing of the Great Court of Greenwich Hospital with all its chimneys – "most humbly inscribed to the Right Honourable the Lord Somers etc.

Original copperplate engraving circa 1725 after a drawing by Colen Campbell for Vitruvius Britannicus or, the British Architect. Containing the Plans, Elevations, and Sections of the most Regular Buildings both Publick & Private in Great Britain, showcasing a "Variety of New Designs… Engraven by the best Hands; and Drawn either from the Buildings themselves or the Original Designs of the Architects". Published in London between 1715 and 1767 by Scottish architect and architectural writer, Colen Campbell (1676-1729), Vitruvius was named in honour of the 1st century Roman author, architect, civil and military engineer, Marcus Vitruvius Pollio. Vitruvius Britannicus was the first English architectural publication after the Elizabethan period.

Colen Campbell (1676-1729) was a Scotsman and a successful lawyer who became an architect. His Vitruvius Britannicus catalogued the work of great architects of the time, including Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren, as well as those of Campbell himself.

This engraving is in good condition with fine later hand-colour. The digital image does not do the colour justice.

Page size is 375 x 650mm (14.75 x 25.5 inches). Size to plate mark is 250 x 650mm (10 x 25.5 inches), with the vertical plate marks at the extremity of the page. The tiny tears at the page edge are reinforced by conservation-tape.