Yale University, School of Architecture

Wonderful Things: The Experience of the Grand Tour

Author(s): Gillian Darley
Source: Perspecta, Vol. 41, Grand Tour (2008), pp. 17-25, 28-29
Published by: MIT Press on behalf of Perspecta.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40482307
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 THINGS
WONDERFUL
oftheGrandTour
The Experience
GillianDarley

Group portrait of Members of the Dilet-

tanti Society, after Sir Joshua Reynolds,
1812-1 81 6. © The Trustees of the British
Museum.

imagesfromthe
Foradditional
Things 17 GrandTour,seepages25and28.
Wonderful

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Pompeo Batoni, Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn,
4th Bt, Thomas Apperley, and Captain
Edward Hamilton, 1768-72. © Amgueddfa
Giovanni Paolo Pannini, Gallery of Views of
Cymru National Museum Wales.
Ancient Rome, 1756-57. Erich Lessing / Art
Resource, NY.

An elegantyoungmanstandsat ease,leaningbya notonlyto illustrate and embodyhistory, butalso as

columnor posedagainstan antiquestatue,oftenin theexpression ofcontemporary To
politicsand society.
thecompanyofa pedigreedhound.Hundredsofsuch avoiddistraction,Baconwarnedthetraveler to keep
portraitsbyPompeoBatonior hisfollowers werecrated himself apartfromhiscompatriots unlesstheyoffered
hometo hangproudlyin theentrancehallsand dining first-hand knowledge.Fromthem,usuallydiplomats, he
roomsofeighteenth-century country houses,frequently should"sucktheexperience ofmany."1
newlybuiltand accurately modeledon thePalladian InigoJones,scenepainter, masquedesigner, and aspir-
villasthattheirpatronshad recently seenforthem- ingarchitect,avidlystudiedthedetailand application
selves.The rigidityand conformity ofthefigure ofthe oftheclassicalcanons,butinitially onlyon thepage
GrandTourist,alreadytendingtowardcaricature in the (althoughhe is knownto havetraveled abroadearlierin
eighteenth century, mirrored thatofhisjourney, which theentourage ofpatrons).CatholicEuropehad been
was takenin confinedcompanyand followeda strictly entirely fortheEnglishin thelatesixteenth
off-limits
preordained route.Butifsuchfigures werearchetypes, century, butJamesis treaty withSpainin 1604 signaled
therealitywasoffargreater complexity and variety, theend ofthatisolation.In 1613- 14,Jonesreturned to
reflectingdivergent motives, exigencies,and preferences.Italyin thesuiteoftheEarland CountessofArundel.
Thisessayis builtaroundtheGrandTouras itwas On thisoccasion,he had timeon hissideand thecon-
takenbyEnglishmen in theseventeenth and eighteenth siderableadvantages oftravelingwithCatholics.As such,
centuries.It focuseson twomenwho had closeifvery theArundelshad exceptional freedom ofmovement,
differentinterestsin architectural
design.One, whose evenin Rome,wheretheywerelicensedto excavate
journeywas an expedientself-exile fromtheCivilWars and foundthefirst ofthefamousArundelMarbles.The
ofthe1640S,was a memberofthegentry. The other partywenton to Spanish-controlled Naplesand even
was a workingman'sson,bornmorethana century considered goingas farsouthas Sicily.2
later,who had strived forand won a scholarship to travel Jones'stourofItalywasa purposeful architectural
to Romeforhisfurther studies.ThejourneysofJohn mission,since,at theadvancedage offorty, he was
EvelynandJohnSoanewerebothtypicaland atypical. aboutto becomeSurveyor to theKing'sWorks -
In bothcases,theirownGrandTours,whileoflimited in effect, architectto themonarch.He drewand noted
duration,inspiredthemfora lifetime. The experiences anything thatcaughthiseye.The marginsofhis 1609
oftheirnear-contemporaries serveto illustratehow editionofPalladio'sQuattroLibriarefilledwithdense
thetourcameto servesuchverydifferent purposesand handwritten comments, drawings,and corrections.3
objectives. In a particularly
directborrowing, thedouble-height
In hisessay"OfTravel,"thelate-sixteenth-century halland balustraded balconyat thecoreofVincenzo
statesman-philosopher FrancisBaconconsidered over- Scamozzi'sVillaMolinnearPaduaarereflected in
seastravelfortheyoung,whichprovidededucation,and thecentral, dramaticcubewithintheQueen'sHouse,
fortheold,whichprovidedexperience. His listoftopics Greenwich, forwhichJonesbeganpreparatory drawings
forattention includedtheinstitutions ofgovernment, soon afterhisreturn to Englandin 1616. The partyhad
thelaw,commerce, and thechurch,as wellas thearti- stayedat theVillaMolinon theirwaysouth,but,more
and evidenceofpasterasand thepres- significantly,
facts,structures, Jonesand ScamozzimetinVenice,and
ent,rangingfromcabinetsofcuriosity to fortifications. theEnglishman camehomewithseveralsheetsofprepa-
Architecture and thewiderbuiltenvironment served ratory drawingsforScamozzi'sVidea dellaArchitettura

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 Universale, whichwaspublishedthefollowing year,in glotChristopher Wrenwhenhe calledon thegrandold
1615.4InigoJones's journey, which led to the introduc- man in Paris in the mid-1660s.Stonehadwiselyassured
tionofItalianateclassicism to theBritishIsles,has been thathe wasaccompaniedbyan Italianspeaker.
describedas "arguably themostsignificant GrandTour Forsomeofthetime,NicholasStonespatron,Wil-
evertaken."5 liamPaston,joinedhimin Rome,and together they
FewearlyGrandTouristshad suchclearpurpose; traveled out intothecampagnato visittheRenaissance
mostshareda widerangeofinterests, feedingthe villasofTivoli,Frascati, and PoggioImperiale.At the
autodidacticism thatinfected muchofeducatedBritish latter, as Stonenotedin hisdiary,"Mr Pastontaking
societyin theseventeenth century.Youngmenbriefly uerygood likingto thishoussedesiredleauethatI might
attendedtheuniversities ofLeidenand Padua and cometo takea modellofit,whichwasgranted." Stone
touredthegreatpalaces,privatecollections, and galleries industriously measuredand drewthisvilla,alongwith
ofParisor Rome.Continental Europeexposedeventhe a numberofothersincludingtheVillaMediciand the
mostintellectually sluggish to new currents ofthought VillaLudovisi,in plan,elevation, and faircopy.7All this
and practicein thearts,literature, and thenatural was fodderforPastonsambitiousschemeto remodelhis
sciences.Somecamehomewithtrunksfilledwiththe ancestral seat,OxneadHall in Norfolk.Byfamiliarizing
latestvolumesfromtheprinting pressesofAmsterdam hisfuture architect withhispreferred models,Paston
andAntwerp, ParisandVenice,as wellas foliosofprints wasplantingtheseedsfortheclassicalcountry house,
celebrating thenewarchitecture being commissioned which he planned to build on his return.Unfortunately,
byEuropeanrulingelites,civiland religious. Travelers thedeteriorating politicalsituationat home,followed
couldjoin a free-moving whichmightbe
intelligentsia byNicholasStonesearlydeathin 1647,putan end to
foundanywhere betweentheEnglishChanneland the hisdream.
Mediterranean. JohnEvelynsetout fromSurrey in 1643on a route
The seventeenth-century GrandTourwas initially an littlediffèrent fromthattakenbyone ofBatonissub-
utterly bewildering confrontation withtheunfamiliar, jects.He headedforParis,proceededvia thetownsof
evenforwell-prepared youngmenwhohad readthe theLoireand theRhoneto Marseilles, sailedto Genoa
availableguidesto thejourney.6 Entrycontrolswere and Livorno,thenpressedinlandto Pisa,Florence,and
time-consuming and officials fraudulent; eventheactual finally on to Rome,witha diversion southto Naples.
locationofborderscouldbe unpredictable. Once on the The actualmomentofarrivalin Romewas alwaysthrill-
road,therewereincomprehensible dialectsto confuse ing."I cameto rome on the4thofNovember1644
eventhebest-prepared linguist,as wellas theodditiesin about 5 at night," JohnEvelynnoted.8His brother
diet,currency, and,aboveall,religion.Butthesouthern Richard,leftbehindduringtheCivilWarsto take
climate,theintensity and qualityoflight,and theheady responsibility forJohnsshareofthefamily estatesas well
richness ofunfamiliar scentsstrucknortherners most as hisown,neverhad theopportunity to travelbeyond
forcibly and transformed everything thattheysawfor England.He wroteenviously toJohnthatRomewas
thebetter - especially theremainsoftheclassicalworld. "theonlyplaceI can imagineto pleasemymelancholy
In thisperiod,EnglishGrandTouristswerequickly humorand busiemywandereing fancybyreasonof
remindedthattheirowncapitalcitywaslittlemorethan thevastnumberofAntiquities, a thingI havealwayes
a medievalshamblesoftimber-framed, jettiedhousing delighted."9
clustered rounda collapsingGothiccathedral, St Pauls. JohnEvelynsharedlodgingsin Romewitha Norfolk-
The handsomerebuiltareasofHenriiv's Paris,withits bornlawyer, RogerPratt,whowas educatinghimself
zïcaAzàplacesand bridgesunencumbered bysuper-
structures, or thetransformed RomeofPope Innocent
x, withitsaxialroutesleadingto pocketsquares,or
majorintersections markedbyBaroqueeye-catchers -
fountains, obelisks,and pirouetting churchfacades -
provokedwonderand envy.Returning to England,
travelers,fromInigoJoneson,wereofteninvitedtojoin
themyriadcommissions setup to controlbuildingand
improvestandards as Londonexpanded.Ideally,London
wouldbe transformed intoa masonry-built, orderly city,
easilycomparableto thebestofmodernGenoa,Lyons,
Livorno,or Geneva,ifnotParisor Rome.
Two youngbrothers, Nicholasand HenryStone,
sonsofInigoJoness mastermasonat theBanqueting
House,traveled to Italybetween1638and 1642,and
somesketchesand notebooksfromtheirstaysurvive.
Whiletheirfather s ownarchitectural allegiances layin
Holland (Nicholasseniorhadworkedfor,and married
thedaughter ofHendrikde Keyser, mastermasonof
Amsterdam), he pointedhissonsfirmly towardItaly. John Evelyn, Titleplate, Views between Rome
and Naples dedicated to Thomas Hen-
Arriving in Rome,NicholasStonewentto visitGian
shaw, 1649. © The Trustees of the British
LorenzoBerniniand receiveda hospitablewelcome,in Museum.
contrast to thewearyindifference shownto themono-

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 withgreatseriousness to be an architect. ForPratt,to DespiteEvelynsthirst forknowledge in numerous
becomefamiliar withtheRenaissanceand classical fields,he oftenregretted howhisweakgraspofmath-
antiquity was no meremechanicalexercise. As he put ematics,and geometry in particular, prevented him
itwithacuity,nothingcouldbe "in theIntellect, which fromproperly recording measuring buildingsof
and the
was neverin theSenses."Howevercarefully theaspiring antiquity, leavinghimwithouttherequisiteskillsofan
builderhad poredovertheplatesin thetreatises ofSer- architect. His drawings, plans,sections,and elevations
lio or Palladioin thelibrary at home,Prattrecognized alikearecompetent buthesitant. Yearslater,he encour-
thattherewas no substitute forthesensationofrunning agedhisson to makegood thesegapsin hisowneduca-
ones fingers alongthestonegroovesofhugefallen tion,since"I exceedingly deploremynotcultivating
columns,slow-baked to warmthbytheheatoftheday, themwithmoresedulity, whenI had theopportunity."10
or perching on thecornerofa brokenaltar,watching In somewaysEvelynstimein Italyconvincedhimof
thesunsetgivewayto moonlight overtheForumand hisarchitectural limitations, usefully turning himintoa
theColosseum. cleverand well-informed architectural observer,
Alongsidethethrilling realityofRomanclassical a theoretician rather thana builder, whileat thesame
still
antiquity, partially unexcavated and obscured by the time his
reinforcing aptitude for urban and landscape
vegetation, random structures, and agricultural routines design, both of which he honed and practicedon his
thattheForumcheerfully harbored, wasa richselection return. Evelyns admiration forgreatEuropeancities
ofrelatively modernbuildings.RogerPrattandJohnEv- alwayscoloredhisviewson London,and he cam-
elynwerebothgreatly impressed bythePalazzoFarnese paignedfora newapproachto urbanism, arguingfor
(liketheirpeers,theybelieveditwas theworkofMichel- zoningand a prototype GreenBeltin hisFumifugium
angeloalone),butPrattcouldnotadjusthissightsfrom of 1661,an environmental pamphletthatwas stillin
theloftygrandeur oftheRenaissanceto theimmediate printthreehundredyearslater.WiththeRestoration,
turbulence oftheBaroque.DespitePratts distastefor Evelynexpectedactionand innovation fromthenew
theCounter-Reformation, hisprolongedstayin Italy king, Charles 11.Believing he had the monarch's ear,he
gave him the architectural to
expertise design and build even entered the listswith a redesign ofthe Cityafter
thegrandest Restoration mansionin London,theLord theGreatFire.His schemedrewuponhisadmiration for
Chancellors short-lived ClarendonHouse on Piccadilly, thewayin whichmajorthoroughfares and important
beforeretiring to hisestateupon marriage to followthe buildingsgaveemphaticformand focusto theurban
lifeofa seventeenth-century country gentleman. frameworks ofRomeand Paris.
The staunchly Anglican John was
Evelyn surprisingly Evelyns diary, althoughwritten up manyyearslater
open to the explosive,curvilinear forms and plans of from his own notes as well as standard guidebooks,can
Baroquebuildings such as Borromini s San Carlo alle be treated as an accurate guide to hispreferences, tastes,
QuattroFontaneor Sant'Ivoalla Sapienza.Evelynsar- and emphases.He devotesmanyparagraphs to the
rivalin Romecoincidedwiththecelebrations surround- splendorsofthepalaceand gardensoftheVillad'Esté,
the
ing inauguration of Pope Innocent x. Seeingthecity and hardlyglancesat theruined"TempleofSibylla
in ceremonial mode,forwhichitwasso wellsuited,may Tyburtina. . .a roundfabric, as yetdiscovering someof
havemadehimmorereceptive to recentBaroquearchi- itspristine beauty."11 It was as an expertin thedesigned
tecturein thepapalcity.In factEvelynsarchitectural landscapeofFranceand ItalythatEvelynreturned, and
tastesspreadwideand he evenhopedto sailto Constan- he was able to applythelessonsofwhathe had seen
tinoplefromVenice,untilTurkishhostilities withthe overseaswhenadvisingRestoration statesmen and oth-
Venetians prevented theplan. erson thedisposition oftheirparksand gardens.Only
thespectacular terraced gardenatAlbury, in Surrey,
survives to showhiscapabilities. He remodeleditin the
late 1660sforthegrandsonofhislatepatron,theEarl
ofArundel.ForHenryHoward,thefuture sixthduke
ofNorfolk,he madea Franco-Italian garden,steepedin
classicalallusion,comfortably setin southernEngland.
ForJohnEvelyn,whohad alreadyvisitedtheLow
Countriesin 1641andwhowas to livein Pariswith
hiswife,Mary,and father-in-law, SirRichardBrowne,
theEnglishResident,from1649untilearly1652,the
experience ofa GrandTourwasa periodofcontinual
enlightenment whichhe was eventually able to putto
good purpose.As a bibliophile, hisfamiliarity withthe
worldofpublishing in theLow Countries,Italy,and
France,and hisenduring friendship withseveralleading
Frenchprintmakers, especially AbrahamBosse,was to
be ofgreatfuture use.His translation ofRolandFréarts
comparative guideto theordersappearedin 1664,titled
Albemarle House, formerlyClarendon House, ParalleloftheAncientArchitecture withtheModern,the
London, published 1809 (engraving). The firstclassicaltreatise in Englishto be illustrated with
Stapleton Collection / The Bridgeman Art
Library.
accurate, finely engraved plates. A second edition,with

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 Evelynsgreatly expandedpreface, waspublishedin 1707,
a yearafterhisdeath.
Evelynslongand activelifewascontinually informed
by hisawareness of the latest intellectual and artistic
developments in Europe,particularly thosein France.
WhatbeganwithhisGrandTourcontinuedthroughout
hislife,thoughhe neverleftEnglishshoresafter1652.
He updatedhisarchitectural information constantly,
through contemporary printsand publications and
verbatim reports from trusted witnesses- Christopher
Wren,SamuelPepys,and manymore.BeforeWrens
officialvisitto Parisin 1665-66 to observethebuilding
oftheLouvre,Evelynbriefed himon recentworkby
FrançoisMansartand LouisLe Vau and provideduseful
contacts.Once there,Wrenreciprocated byreporting
Henry Stone, Page froma sketchbook
backon whathe had seen,and promisedmoreon his of landscape and figure studies and draw-
return.12 Twentyyearsearlier, the"collector" earlof ings after Italian masters and the Antique,
Arundelhad providedan itinerary on whatto visitnorth made during a sojourn in Italy,ca. 1638-42.
Courtesy the Trustees of Sir John Soane's
ofPadua.ThroughArundel,Evelynhad beenonlyone Museum.
removeawayfrom,and one stepbehind,InigoJones,
theEnglisharchitect he mostadmired.In thesame
he
spirit, took his obligationto passthebatonto new The thirdearlofBurlington tookfourcontinental
travelers veryseriously indeed- evenurgingrecalcitrant tours,twoto Italy,in 1714-5 and 1719.A longproces-
youngmembersofhisfamily on theirownGrandTours. sionofmenofmeanscameafterhim,educatingthem-
Evelynsenduringinterest in one particular build- selvesas architectural amateursor becoming,at least,
ing type, the military and naval hospital, was to be his knowledgeable clients. Theybroughtbackeditionsof
greatest architectural legacy. As a of
result the harrow- treatises and builders' manuals fortheirgrowing libraries,
inginsights he gainedas a Commissioner fortheSick, amassedcollections ofarchitectural and commis-
prints,
Wounded,and Prisoners ofWarduringthesecondand sionedbuildingslargeand small,includinggalleries in
thirdDutchwars,he instigated a campaignto build whichto housetheirhandsomeartistic trophies,which
premises wherenursingcareforthesickand agedcould had beenremovedbrusquely fromthesitesofclassical
be providedforthosewho had servedtheircountry and antiquity. The pursuitofarchitecture soon camewitha
werenowillor destitute. In theearlyweeksof 1666, warning.LordChesterfield fearedhissonwas becom-
withenthusiastic supportfromhiscolleagueand soon ingdistracted and mightloseinterest in politics,as had
to be closefriend, SamuelPepysoftheNavalOffice,he othersbeforehim.He mustconcentrate hisattention
identified a site,drewup a scheme(albeita somewhat onlyon theverybest,since"beyondcertainbounds,the
rudimentary quadrangle)and lobbiedenergetically fora Man ofTasteends,and thefrivolous Virtuosobegins."
navalhospitalto be builtat Chatham,a RoyalDockyard Chesterfield s emphaseswereclear:detailedknowledge
on theRiverMedway. ofbuilding("theminuteand mechanicalpartsofit")
Nothingcameofit,sincefundscouldnotbe found, shouldbe left"tomasons,bricklayers, and LordBurling-
butin the1680shisexpertise wascentralto theplanning ton.. .whohas,to a certaindegree,lessenedhimself, by
and construction ofa hospitalto thewestofLondonfor knowingthemtoowell."14
armyveterans, WrensheroicRoyalHospitalin Chel- WhenJohnSoane- he had recently addedthee to
sea. Finally, in hismid-seventies, Evelynwas rewarded a morepedestrian spelling - setout forItalyin hismid-
withthepostofTreasurer to theRoyalNavalHospital twenties, he had noneoftheassuranceofan aristocrat
at Greenwich in 1695.The greatpalaceforsickseamen ora memberofthelandedgentry, buta greatdeal more
on thebanksoftheThames,eastoftheCity,wasclosely purposeand practicalskill.The son ofa ruralbricklayer,
modeledupon Louisxivs Hôteldes Invalides,builtin he was nowtheproudwinnerofa Gold Medal from
the1670s,a magnificent homeforthevictimsofwar. theRoyalAcademyschools.He had gainedarchitec-
LikeWren,thearchitect ofthenewhospital,Evelyn turalexperience in twoleadingGeorgianoffices: first,
knewtheHôtel des Invalidesalmostas wellas ifhe had theyoungerGeorgeDance s practiceand thenHenry
beenthere,fromprintsand descriptions fromfriends Hollands, and he had considerable ambitionsforhis
and relatives whovisitediton hisbehalf. scholarship GrandTour.Soanewouldcomehomewith
Evelynsinterest in current architecture neverflagged. firsthand knowledge ofthegreatmonuments ofclassical
Whenoverseventy, he carefully copiedout a pagefrom antiquity as wellas thesocialpolishwithwhichto
D'Avilers Coursd'Architecture (1691).Whenalmost cultivate contacts,and thuspatrons.
eighty, in 1700,on inheriting thefamily seat,Wotton, LikeJohnEvelynsnoteofhisarrivalin Rome,Soane
in Surrey, he drewa "castlein theair"(as he calledit in a recordedtheexactmomentofdeparture on hisGrand
letterto Pepys).He replacedtheactualrambling Tudor Tour.Witha fellowarchitect, RobertBrettingham, he
housewitha symmetrical lakesidevilla,idealizingand leftLondonat 5:30a.m. on March18, 1778.Soane
claimingdomesticclassicism longbeforeLordBurling- reachedRomeon May 2, and inAugustapologizedto
ton,thefather ofEnglishPalladianism, returned from a friendforbeinga desultory correspondent; he had
theVeneto.13 beenutterly immersed in "seeingand examining the

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 thecorrespondence betweenhimself and hismothersur-
vivesalmostintact,we havea disarmingly frankaccount
ofhissituation.He toldhismother"businessis despised
bythenobilityin Italy," where,unlikeEngland,there
wereno "richcommoners." In return, hismotherteases
thathe willhavebecometoo grandforlifeat home
and willnoteasily"descendintoa Norwichmerchant."
After doingbusinessin Leipzigand elsewhere, he moved
southand rewarded himself witha happytwomonthsin
Siena,following Baconsadviceto stayawayfromhisfel-
low English,livingwithItaliansand seeingthecountry
forhimself.
Butoncein Rome,Pattesonfoundhimself backon
thewell-worn GrandTourroute.He wonderedifthere
was anypointin keepinga journal,sinceeverything
wasso "exactly described" in books.As herson headed
John Soane, Plan and elevation of the Temple forSicilywithSoane and otherfriends, Mrs.Patteson
of Ceres, Paestum, froma sketchbook
avidly shadowedtheirpartypagebypagethroughthe
labeled Italian Sketches, 1779. Courtesy the
Trustees of Sir John Soane's Museum.
twovolumesofPatrickBrydonesv4 TourThrough Sicily
and Malta. Buthe toldhershemustnottakewhatshe
readtoo literally:from"fineflowry descriptions ofthe
numerousand inestimable remainsofAntiquity." But remainsofantiquity aboutNaples.. .youformveryhigh
hisfriend wouldunderstand, being"nostranger to the ideasofthethingsthemselves. Butsuchis thesurprize
zeal and attachment I haveforthemand withwhat ofthosewho see themthattheyhavescarcepatienceto
impatience I havewaitedforthescenesI nowenjoy."15 go overthebeatenroadand certainly wouldnot,were
Soanes first surviving drawing from Rome, dated May they not spurred on by fashion and the fearofbeing
2i, does not,however, showan exampleofclassical laughedat."Howeverthrilling forthestudentofclassi-
antiquity, buttheancientchurchofSant'Agnese fuori cal architecture,longhoursspentexamining theruinsof
le Mura. antiquity werenotforeveryone. On hisreturn, Patteson
In additionto exposureto an almostcompletetext- toldhismotherthathe wouldbe able to "makeup
bookofclassicalbuildingsand theirsources,the pretty stories"and persuadeothersthat"I haveseensuch
architectural GrandTouristhad unsurpassed opportu- wonderful thingsas in anytravelling book they
nityforpersonalcontactsalongtheway.Europeand willreadof."17
thewell-trodden routeoftheGrandTourwaslike Forall hislevity, Pattesonsletters fromSicilyshow
an immensedrawingroomin whichaspiringarchitects howevena laymancouldnothelpabsorbingthe
couldrubshoulders withpatronsas wellas thetowering languageofthearchitectural treatise.His companions
figures in theirfield.Soanevisitedtheesteemedengineer taughthimto appreciate theruinsofthetempleat
and bridgebuilderPerronet in Parisand fleetingly Segesta,which"convincedus oftheeffect ofproportion
encountered Piranesiin Rome.The fellowtravelers who and simplicity," buthe couldnotresistenjoying"many
groupedand regrouped alongthewayprovideda length- a good laughagainsttheotherswhentheyhappento ad-
eninglistofpotentialclients.Soanes career, initially mirea modernarchforan ancientone and suchlike."18
as a designer ofcountry housesand thenas architect to Meanwhile,Mrs.Pattesonaskedherson'sfriendSoane
theBankofEngland,was almostentirely builtupon foradviceon reordering thehousesheplannedto buy
thesecontacts. outsideNorwich.Foreverypotentialclientmeten route,
Soane'sroleas a GrandTourist,givenhislowlysocial therewas an entirefamily backin England.
and financial status,oftenseemedcloserto thatofa Forthetrueenthusiast, thejourneymightconjure
cicerone, a paid architectural guide.ThomasJones,the up romanticthoughts or intimations ofthepicturesque.
Welshpainterand landowner, whomSoanewas to meet ThomasWhateley, politicianand gardener, proclaimed
in Naples,noticedthattheRomansthemselves classified that"a monumentofantiquity is neverseenwithindif-
GrandTouristsinto"threeclassesor degrees - likethe ference."Butformost,literary and aesthetic associations
positive, comparative and superlative ofthegrammar- irresistibly led to thoughts offallenempires, and,from
ians."Firstwereartists, secondwere"MezziCavalieri" - there,to observations on thesorrystateofmodernItaly.
half-gendemen -
or,in otherwords,gentry thirdwere 'Some oftheruins.. .shewthevariety and insignificancy
the"Cavalierior MilordiInglesi,"who travelled with ofthathaughty pissmire[ant]man,"Pattesonmusedin
a fullentourage.16 Forthosein thefirst category,both Rome,lookingat palacesnowbecomevegetablegardens,
theothergroupsmightoffer usefulcontactsoncethey and templesbecomestablesand cartsheds.19
werehomeagain.Soane madethemostofall ofthem Forall theburgeoning editionsofstandardtopo-
whilelearningto negotiate hiswayalongthetricky path graphicaland architectural guides,themostvaluable
through an exactingsocialmilieu. itinerarieswerethosegivenas personalrecommenda-
One ofhisclosestfriends, JohnPatteson, did notfit tions.JohnSoane'svademecumhad beena copyofa
thesocialstereotype oftheGrandTouristeither, sincehe letterwritten bySirWilliamChambersto anotherarchi-
was enterprisingly combiningthetourwithtradecalls tectural student, whileSoane'smentor, GeorgeDance,
on behalfofhisfamily's wool firmin Norwich.Since spentsixformative yearsin Italy.Soane himself offered

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 adviceto hisfriendand fishing companionJ.M. W. Architects had gainedfreedom ofchoice,both
Turneras he headedforEuropeaftertheend ofthe in destination and style.Settingout on quitea different
NapoleonicWars.In thanks, Turnerpainteda grandiose itinerary, A.W.N. Pugintraveled almostannually
sceneoftheRomanForumforSoane. to northern France,Germany, and Flanders,buthe also
Foran architect on theGrandTour,theobjectwas continually visitedthecathedrals at LincolnandYork
notto copythegreatoriginals in orderto buildthem and themedievaluniversity buildingsofOxford.For
exactly at home, but to draw upon them as a source, Pugin, and the Gothic Revivalistsafterhim,English
freshly interpreted. Patrons might ask for facsimiles, Gothic architecture was inspiring itsownright.There
in
butno architect worthhisfeewouldagreewithout wascertainly nothing attractPuginsouththrough
to
addingsomething of his own. Lord Charlemont never Europe,leadingto no morethana successionof"pagan"
succeededin buildinga# replica of the Villa Rotonda temples,as he putit.
in Ireland,nordid thefourth earlofBristol,theEarl Anothergeneration on,Artsand Craftsdesigners, se-
of to
Bishop Deny,manage transplant golden his vision duced as much by details oftraditional or
tiling masonry
of"Tusculum," Pliny'svilla,fromsouthernItalyto on a cottageor farmbuildingas bythecarvingofthe
northern Ireland.The bishophad takenSoane underhis medievalmasters, couldfindalmosteverything theyad-
wing,guiding him to little-known sites around Naples, mired within a short radius of home. It was North
their
suchas theaqueductnearCasertaand theCharterhouse Americanpeers,mensuchas CharlesGreene,who now
at Padula,and thencajoledhimto abandonhisGrand cameto Europeinstead.
Tourin orderto return and transform The Downhill,the Forthosewishingto investigate theclassicalworld,
s
bishop grim basalt-built mansion on a storm-battered there was now the opportunity settledperiods
for
headlandin CountyDown. WithinsixweeksofSoanes ofstudyin institutions in RomeorAthens,follow-
arrivalin Ireland,at thecostofa yearofhisItalianschol- ingthehabitoftheFrench,so longlodgedat theVilla
arship,thenewlyennobledearlrenegedon theproject.
In thewrongheads,dreamsofItalyweremeredelusions.
ForSoane,certainbuildingsseenon theGrandTour
weretalismanic, nonemorethantheTempleofVesta
atTivoli.The littleruin,to whichEvelynhad hardly
givena glance,wasa leitmotif ofSoanes entirecareer.
He designedtheTivoliCornerforthenorthwest angle
oftheBankofEngland,and madea specialdisplayin
hishousemuseumin Lincoln'sInn Fields,designating
an alcoveon thestairstheTivoliRecess,in whichhe
enshrined a castoftheentablature fromthetemple.
Soanewas ofa generation to benefit fromtheextended
itinerary ofthe Grand Tour, taking thenewlyexca-
in
vatedsitesofHerculaneumand Pompeiias wellas the
Greektemplesat Paestum,southofNaples.Soane built
a brick"Barnà la Paestum"forone ofhiscontactsfrom
theGrandTourand includeda corkmodelofitin his
largecollection, whichalso includedtheTempleofVesta
builtto scalein cork.
Thosearchitects whohad nottraveled beyondtheir
ownshoreswererare - or unfortunate. Nicholas
HawksmoorneverleftEngland,whileJohnNash,born
in 1752,did notreachFranceuntil1814. Napoleonhad
cuttheBritishofffromfirsthand experience ofmainland
Europe for the best part of two decades, and afterward
thespellwas broken.
Increasingly architects headedeast,gainingtheir
GreekRevivalist credentials and qualifying formember-
ship of the Society of Dilettanti (for which a visitto
Greecewas a prerequisite). Buta fatalsclerosis had
overtaken theGrandTour;themoreofan institution
itbecame,thenarrower itsemphasis.Antiquarian zeal,
notarchitectural now
curiosity, tempted the traveler
offthebeatentrack.The Napoleonicblockadewas time-
ly;italloweda periodoftopographical and architectural
introspection and freed an entire generation ofarchitects
Drawing made forJohnSoane's Royal
and patronsfromtheobligationto treadunquestion- Academy Lectures by HenryParke,
ingly,and nostalgically, in theirseniors'footsteps. By showing a student measuringthe
theearlynineteenth the Grand Tour had been CorinthianOrder of the Temple of Jupiter
century, Stator (Castor and Pollux), Rome,
consignedto history alongwiththeunquestioning n.d. (1814-20). Courtesy the Trustees
veneration oftheorders. of Sir JohnSoane's Museum.

WonderfulThings 23

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Mediei.BoththeArchitectural Associationand the
Royal Institute
of Architects
British considered setting
up schoolsof in
architecture Rome in theearly1900s,
butnothingcameoftheirplans.Instead,theBritish
Schoolat Romeopenedin 1900,precededbytheBritish
SchoolatAthensin 1886.In 1912, itmovedintoSir
EdwinLutyens's pavilion,originallybuiltforthe1911
RomeInternational Exhibition. TheAmericanAcademy
in Romefollowedin 1913. Bothbroughttogether fruit-
fullymanydisciplines,from the fine artsto archaeol-
ogy.Architecturally,
Lutyens'sbuildingmakesa richly
ironicconclusionto thestoryoftheGrandTourand
- a concreteadaptationoftheupperorder
itsinfluence
ofthewestfrontofWren'sSt Paul'sCathedral,built
amidsttwentieth-century Rome.

1 JohnPitcher, ed., FrancisBacon: The Stone,are at SirJohnSoane's Museumin Architectin England1650-1850 (London:
Essays (London:PenguinBooks, 1985), London.Forthe diaryof theformer, see SirJohnSoane's Museum,2007), 6.
113-14. WalterLewisSpiers,ed., TheNote-bookand 15 Letterto HenryWood,dated August1,
2 EdwardChaney,"InigoJonesin Naples," AccountBook of NicholasStone: MasterMa- inArthur Bolton,ed., ThePortraitof SirJohn
ineds. JohnBold and EdwardChaney,Eng- son to JamesI and CharlesI (Oxford:printed Soane RA (London:Butler& Tanner,1927),
lishArchitecturePublicand Private:Essays fortheWalpoleSocietyby F. Hall,1919). 16. See also GillianDarley,chap. 2 inJohn
forKerryDownes (London:HambledonPress, 8 E.S. de Beer,ed., TheDiaryof John Soane: AnAccidentalRomantic(New Haven,
1993), 31-53. Evelyn,vol. 2 (Londonand New York:Oxford Conn.,and London:Yale University Press,
3 GilesWorsley, InigoJonesand theEuro- University Press,1955), 212. 1999).
pean ClassicistTradition(New Haven,Conn., 9 GillianDarley,JohnEvelyn:Livingfor 16 GillianDarley,JohnSoane: An Accidental
and London:Yale University Press,2007), Ingenuity (New Haven,Conn.,and London: Romantic,25.
16, fig.5. Yale UniversityPress,2006), 45, note 35. 17 D. Cubitt,A.L. Mackley,
and R.G. Wilson,
4 Ibid.,19-20, 102-4. 10 Ibid.,47, note43. eds., TheGreatTourof JohnPatteson,
5 EdwardChaney,TheEvolutionof the 11 E.S. de Beer,ed., TheDiaryof John 1778-1 779 (Norfolk RecordSociety,vol.
GrandTour:Anglo-Italian CulturalRelations Evelyn,vol. 2, 397. LXVII,2003), letter75.
since theRenaissance (London:FrankCass, 12 Describedas "a letterto a friend,"but 18 Ibid.,letter69.
2000), 208. clearlyto Evelyn.TextinLydiaM. Soo, Wren's 19 Ibid.,letter72.
6 JohnStoye,EnglishTravellers Abroad, "Tracts"on Architectureand OtherWritings
1604- 1667: TheirInfluence in English (Cambridgeand New York:CambridgeUni-
Societyand Politics,rev.ed. (New Haven, versityPress,1998), 103-6, note 12.
Conn.,and London:Yale University Press, 13 GillianDarley,JohnEvelyn:Livingfor
1989), 143. Ingenuity,300 and plate 29.
7 Two sketchbooks,one by NicholasStone 14 Quoted inJohnHarrisand Robert
(withmanypages missing)and one by Henry Hradsky, A Passion forBuilding:TheAmateur

24 Wonderful
Things

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Images 25

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
28 Images

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
p. 25 William Pars, The Arch of Hadrian and the Temple of Jupiter
with the Acropolis in the distance, 1764-66. © The Trustees of the
BritishMuseum. Francis Towne, The Roman Forum, 1781 . © The
Trustees of the BritishMuseum. Francis Towne, The Baths of Titus,
1781 . © The Trustees of the BritishMuseum,
p. 26 Cork model of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman
Forum, made by an unknown model maker, late eighteenth or early
nineteenth century.Collection of Sir JohnSoane. Photograph by Hugh
Kelly.Courtesy the Trustees of Sir John Soane's Museum,
p. 27 Two spreads fromSouvenirs of the Grand Tour and Neo-
classical decorations (London: Christie's South Kensington, 1998).
© Christie's Images Limited.
p. 28 Henry Tresham, Ruins of a Classical Temple, Paestum,
1751-1 81 4. © The Trustees of the BritishMuseum. Charles Gore,
The Two Temples at Agrigentum, 1777-78. © The Trustees of the For moreon SirJohnSoane,
BritishMuseum. see page 46. For additionalimages
fromSirJohnSoane's Model
Room, see pages 92-93 and
Images 29 170-171.

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