{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O186015"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O186015/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014HE4898/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014HE4898/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2014HE4898","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O186015/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O186015","accessionNumber":"3436:189","objectType":"Drawing","titles":[{"title":"Plans and elevations of the Villa Albani, Rome","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Soane completed this meticulous drawing of Carlo Marchionni's Roman <i>villa suburbana</i> designed for Cardinal Alessandro Albani and considered to be an 18th-century masterpiece. A further two sheets of plans of the ground floor exist in preparatory and finished form at Soane Museum, however, historically the present drawing is the most important of the group. It represents in plan and elevation Marchionni's fastidious decoration for the <i>piano nobile</i>, especially the famous <i>Salone</i> with Meng's Parnassus ceiling. Soane's attention focused on the wall surfaces into which Marchionni set ancient marbles from the Albani's collection, together with pseudo-antique bas reliefs of his own design. What interested Soane was the technique Marchionni used for displaying the dorsal portion of statues in niches by placing mirror 'Glass behind the figure' (to quote Soane's inscription on the drawing). This display technique was recollected by Soane in the organisation of his own house and reflects in the mirror-lined eccentricities of the Soane Museum.","physicalDescription":"Plan and three elevations of the 'Salone' of the Villa Albani, Rome (recto); plan, with dimensions, of the 'piano nobile' (principal floor) of the Villa (verso). The drawings focus on Carlo Marchionni's decoration of the rooms, mixing ancient marbles set into the wall surfaces with Marchionni's own pseudo-antique bas reliefs.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Sir John Soane","id":"N2369"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"pen","id":"x47746"},{"text":"sepia ink","id":"x43740"},{"text":"pencil","id":"x30347"}],"techniques":[{"text":"architectural drawing","id":"AAT54197"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Pen and sepia ink over pencil","categories":[{"text":"Drawings","id":"THES48966"},{"text":"Architecture","id":"THES48993"},{"text":"Grand Tour","id":"THES49039"},{"text":"Designs","id":"THES48968"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2014HE4898"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLE","id":"THES49657"},"free":"","case":"A","shelf":"131","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"drawing (image-making)","id":"AAT54196"}],[{"text":"designs","id":"AAT102051"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Rome","id":"x29106"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1779-1780","earliest":"1779-01-01","latest":"1780-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"32.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Length","value":"23","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Dimensions taken from <i>Sir John Soane: Catalogues of the Architectural Drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum</i> by Pierre de la Ruffinière du Prey, p. 28","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Inscribed with notes and dimensions","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":"This object was once part of an album of designs by various architects, artists and designers collected by the architect Charles James Richardson, and was bought from him by the Museum in 1863. ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Plan and three elevations of the <i>Salone</i> (<i>recto</i>); plan of the <i>piano nobile</i>, with dimensions (<i>verso</i>) of Villa Albani (Torlonia), Rome by Sir John Soane, 1779-1780; pen and sepia ink over pencil; the Ricardson Collection.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"du Prey, P. de la Ruffinière. <i>John Soane’s Architectural Education 1753-80</i>, New York, 1977, pp.272-273, figs. 249-250, (cat. 5, recto & verso)"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"du Prey, P. de la Ruffinière. <i>John Soane: The Making of an Architect</i>, Chicago, 1982, pp. 184, 240, fig. 11.15 (recto only)"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"du Prey, P. de la Ruffinière. <i>Sir John Soane: Catalogues of Archaeological Drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum</i>, London, 1985, p. 28 (Cat. entry 5)"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Unique","id":"THES48864"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"Villa Albani","id":"x43761"},{"text":"Rome","id":"x29106"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Marchionni, Carlo","id":"N8040"},{"text":"Albani, Alessandro","id":"N8041"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"interior design","id":"AAT54184"},{"text":"bas reliefs","id":"AAT184633"},{"text":"mirrors","id":"AAT37682"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["3436:189"],"accessionNumberNum":"3436","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":null,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-20","recordCreationDate":"2009-02-03","availableToBook":false}}