London;: Printed By J. Dixwell, St. Martin's Lane, Charing Cross,, M.DCC.LXXXI.
Physical Description
[iv], iv, 11, [1] p., 10 pl.; 554 mm. (1°).
Contents
[T.-p.; dedic.] - To The Reader - Architecture - The Principal parts Of This Composition [notes on pl. 1-9] - [Plates].
Responsibility Note
Plate II is signed as engraved by Blake.
The work is dedicated by the author to the Royal Academicians and the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, &c.
References
ESTC N63489
E. Harris and N. Savage, British architectural books (1990), 220
R.N. Essick, William Blake's commercial book illustrations (1991), no. IV
G.E. Bentley, Blake books (1977), no. 452.
Summary Note
Emlyn's proposition is an expression of George III's revival of chivalry at Windsor Castle, where Emlyn had worked as a carpenter since 1761. His order consists of a Doric entablature with Prince of Wales feathers forming the triglyph and acorns the guttae, a double capital composed of knightly plumage and intertwined Ionic volutes, a pedestal depicting St George slaying the dragon, and a column split into two shafts. In his design Emlyn set out to satisfy Isaac Ware's requirement (echoing Laugier), that such an order should be 'new absolutely', and he perhaps did better than Batty Langley (1734), Peter de la Roche (1769) or James Adam (1778). The Gentleman's magazine praised Emlyn's order, but the Critical review described it as 'impure, unoriginal, unnecessary'. Nevertheless Emlyn published a second edition in 1784 and a third in 1797 (ESTC t137502).
Reproductions
A microfilm version was published in 2004 (Woodbridge Conn.: Primary Source Microfilm [imprint of Gale Group]).
Provenance
Presented by the author in 1782 (RA Council Minutes, I, 356).