{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1300967"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1300967/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014HG2867/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014HG2867/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2014HG2867","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1300967/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1300967","accessionNumber":"S.1679-2014","objectType":"Engraving","titles":[{"title":"The Inside of the Elegant Music Room in Vaux Hall Gardens. Le dedans du Concert Elegant aux Jardins du Vaux Hall","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"Vauxhall Gardens, or the New Spring Garden at Vauxhall as it was originally known, opened soon after the Restoration in 1661. Open from May until late August, it soon became a pleasant excursion by river for Londoners from Temple, Westminster or Whitehall Stairs where barges waited to ferry patrons to Vauxhall Stairs, including Samuel Pepys who made his first visit on 29 May 1662. By 1728, when the Spring Garden appears to have fallen into some disrepute, Jonathan Tyers obtained a thirty year lease of the land, and by subsequent purchases in 1752 and 1758 became the owner of the estate. He made substantial improvements and opened his first Vauxhall Gardens on 7 June 1732 with a grand 'Ridotto al Fresco' costing a guinea for admission.  By the start of the 1748 season, emulating the recently opened Ranelagh Gardens, Tyers added a Rotunda, to act as an assembly room and concert hall in bad weather, and by about 1750 it became possible to reach the Gardens by coach. In the winter or 1750-1751 Tyers refurbished several buildings including The Temple of Comus, built in 1748-49, which became known as the Chinese Pavilions, and added a Pillared Saloon to the Rotunda.\n\nThis print, published by West, is a later version of the original published by John Bowles and dated June 1752. It shows the part of the Rotunda or Music Room that lost six of its groups of window, mirror and bust during the remodelling to create two large openings to the new Pillared Saloon on the east, and into a larger orchestra stand on the west. The far door led out to the piazza of Chinese Pavilions on the Grand Walk. The interior was described by John Lockman in 1751 in <i>A Sketch of Spring Gardens</i>:\n'At that part of the Rotunda where the additional room was made, is a Screen of Columns, in a very grand Style of Architecture. These Columns are embellished with Foliage, from the Base a considerable way upwards; and the remaining Part of the Shaft, to the Capital... is finely wreath'd with a Gothic Balustrade, where Boys are ascending to it.'\n\n\n\r\n","physicalDescription":"Engraving printed on paper showing patrons of Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in the Music Room or Rotunda, talking and walking by the ornate columns with foliate decoration, and the exit leading out to the piazza of Chinese Pavilions on the Grand Walk.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Wale, Samuel","id":"A21211"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x28695"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Roberts, H.","id":"A17789"},"association":{"text":"engraved","id":"x42354"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"West, Francis","id":"A27984"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x38483"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Printed paper","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Pleasure Gardens","id":"THES264354"},{"text":"Architecture","id":"THES48993"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2014HG2867"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"007","id":"THES356621"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"engraving","id":"AAT41340"}],[{"text":"print","id":"AAT41273"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca.1751","earliest":"1746-01-01","latest":"1755-12-31"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Acquired with the support of the Friends of the V&A","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"38.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"whole object","note":"maximum height"},{"dimension":"Width","value":"50.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"Late in 1751 two series of prints of Vauxhall Gardens appeared: one after Canaletto published by Robert Sayer, the other after Samuel Wale published by John Bowles. According to John Lockman's <i>A Sketch of Spring Gardens</i>, 1752, the north-west part of Vauxhall Gardens had in the previous season consisted of 'downs ... covered with shrubs'. By the 1751/52 season the new supper boxes and pavilions shown here had been built. They appear in both the Canaletto and Wale series, but with much variation in detail suggesting that at least one version was based on drawings made when construction was not yet complete. See S. O'Connell,<i> London 1753</i> (BM, 2003), pp. 237-40, for further discussion.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Engraving of the interior of the Music Room or Rotunda in Vauxhall Gardens.  Engraved by H. Roberts after Samuel Wale, and published by Francis West after the original published in 1852 by John Bowles","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[{"text":"Vauxhall Gardens","id":"x34713"}],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.1679-2014"],"accessionNumberNum":"1679","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2014,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"","id":""},"number":""}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-04","recordCreationDate":"2014-09-30","availableToBook":true}}