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Two designs for an unidentified altarpiece


Drawn by Wren, c. 1666–68. Neither drawing is scaled (397-398):

Wren_397_ASC_I_62

397 - AS I.62    (click to view in Digital Bodleian)

397 - AS I.62. Elevation and half plan. Brown ink over pencil and (mostly) scorer, shaded with grey wash. 421 x 261 mm. Watermark: Strasbourg lily WR, over JJ (faint).




Wren_398_ASC_II_63

398 - AS II.63    (click to view in Digital Bodleian)

398 - AS II.63. Alternative elevation. Pencil or grey ink over scorer, shaded with grey wash. 273 x 211 mm. Watermark: Strasbourg lily WR, over JJ. Endorsed in pencil: 51.

Note to 397-398: These two drawings are clearly alternative designs. The draughtsmanship suggests a date of c. 1666–68 (compare the shading technique of 2 and the Corinthian capitals in 8). If the altar is presumed to be 3 ft high (as in 256), then a scale of 4 ft to an inch can be deduced. At this scale the outline dimensions are 32 ft 4 in. by 22 ft 8 in. The designs are suitable for a college chapel or chapel royal.

[WS 9, pls. 39, L, and 40]