“ Keith Young’s massive volume of reproductions costs several pounds. The days of Robert Adam were the days when architects were few and patrons were rich. Our own times are less happy in that respect, but they are nevertheless the days of unrivalled opportunity. Piranesi is the magician who can show what opportunities may become; more especially as the process block, albeit lacking in the marvellous gradations of tone and feeling of the original etchings, renders it possible to publish at small cost such a series as are comprised in this volume. ”

“ He unlocks a treasure-house—a library full of fresh detail. The detail, too, is rich, complex detail, safe only in the hands of the discerning. But Piranesi’s students in England at that time were fit to profit by such a master; among his more attentive scholars being Robert Adam, Chambers, Dance, and many other architects of the late eighteenth century, and through these he influenced the decorative designers from Chippendale to Pergolesi. Mr. Phene Spiers, not without a certain hyperbole, traces the Empire Style to Piranesi’s designs for chimneypieces. ”

“ It is of great value to have an illustrated survey of the most noteworthy houses that have been erected. The present volume gives such a survey, in the form of special photographs reproduced to a good size, showing the actual appearance of the houses, accompanied in every case by carefully drawn plans. The examples include work by all the leading architects who have devoted special attention to the problem of the small house, and their solutions are presented in the most attractive form. ”

“ Now, if any coherence at all can be seen in the trend of modern English architecture, we seem at the present moment to be just as dissatisfied with mere Palladianism as were the architects of the end of the eighteenth century. Like them, too, we are lookingxi for a more complete expression of the Classic spirit. To us, therefore, Piranesi may have a very similar lesson. The unfortunate thing, however, is that his etchings, a few years ago so easy to obtain, are daily becoming more rare and expensive. ”

“ Garden suburbs, or suburbs developed on lines that are far more rural than is possible in the centre of a town, have sprung up all over the country, and the architect has been confronted with a new task—the task of designing a small house which can be erected at moderate cost, but which, nevertheless, provides accommodation in keeping with the demands of modern life. ”

“ They have been at great pains in their task, and, as the result of much original research, a flood of fresh light is thrown upon the subjects dealt with, every chapter adding some new fact to previous knowledge, or reproducing some hitherto unknown or neglected plan. ”

“ Buildings that have been the scene of historical events, or have played a distinctive part in the development of national life, are commonly dealt with either at length in a most unattractive style, or dismissed in a few sentences embodying dates and particulars which are frequently inaccurate. ”

“ The drawings, specially prepared for this publication, are themselves admirable examples of accurate, clear, and artistic draughtsmanship, and the subjects which they depict have all been specially selected by Mr. Mervyn E. Macartney, B.A., F.S.A., F.R.I.B.A., as possessing merits of design and execution which are worthy of study and emulation.
The “Practical Exemplar” is, indeed, the architect’s vade mecum. In it he finds illustrations of fine examples of chimneypieces, gates, panelling, doorways, ironwork, staircases, windows, and a score of other features which he can make practical use of. ”

“ These cover a wide field, being of interest not only to those who are professionally concerned with architecture and building, but also to those who have a general non-technical interest in such subjects. ”

“ In 1741, when twenty-one years of age, Piranesi published his first etchings, four compositions of ruins, afterwards included in his Opere Varie, issued by Bouchard at Rome in 1750. In 1748 he published his Antichità Romane de’ Tempi della Repubblica e de’ primi Imperatori, etc., containing thirty plates of triumphal arches, amphitheatres, and other ancient structures, mostly from places other than Rome. ”

“ They are very complete in their scope, embracing not only general exterior and interior views, but also details of decorative work in the houses illustrated. Garden design, too, has received adequate attention. ”

“ The plates exist at the present day, and it is believed that prints are still occasionally struck from them. Now, however, the difference between the original Roman impressions and the later Paris ones is well understood, and Piranesi’s renown never stood higher than it does to-day. His son died in 1810.
The plates here reproduced are from the author’s collection, with the exception of the designs for chimneypieces, which have been kindly lent by Mr. Batsford.
C. H. Reilly.
1
Plate 1: Title-page to the “Vedute di Roma.” (Pub. Rome 1751.) Plate 2: Composition of Ruins. ”