COLLECTION NAME:
Graduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
“Rescue from oblivion the magnificence of Palmyra”: The Eighteenth-century British Revival of Palmyra in Print and Architecture
Creator:
Kelly-Swope, Heather K.
Subject:
Thesis (M.F.A.) – Architectural History
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Architectural History
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
“England's representation of Palmyra in eighteenth-century engravings and Neoclassical architecture reflects evolving social, political, and personal motives. Palmyra was one of the most important trade centers of the ancient world, located on the crossroads of two major trading routes, which directly contributed to the wealth attained and the outstanding illustration of ancient Palmyrene-Roman architecture, a hybrid which captured England's attention. The eighteenth-century explorer Robert Wood and the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Borra participated in an expedition of ancient sites in the Levant, an area not usually visited on the Grand Tour. In his 1753 book, The Ruins of Palmyra, Otherwise Tedmor, in the Desart [sic], Wood presented Palmyra to the West as a way to visit the curated past and included engravings of the ruins carefully documented by Borra. The book proved popular among the educated English elite and, as a result, the ancient site became instrumental to English Neoclassical architecture, including to designs by Robert Adam and Borra himself. Through existing documentation, I will analyze the motives of Wood’s, Borra’s, and Adam’s respective representations of Palmyra's monuments. I will explore in particular the potential reasons why Adam’s and Borra’s clients wanted to integrate Palmyrene design into their stately homes and garden follies. Additionally, I will highlight the correlation between Borra’s and Adam’s designs and the engravings used as examples from The Ruins of Palmyra.” –Abstract
Keywords: Palmyra, engravings, English Neoclassicism, Neoclassical architecture, Robert Wood, Gavin Hamilton, Giovanni Battista Borra, Robert Adam.
Keywords: Palmyra, engravings, English Neoclassicism, Neoclassical architecture, Robert Wood, Gavin Hamilton, Giovanni Battista Borra, Robert Adam.
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia : Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2023-08
Format:
1 online resource: 1 PDF (Thesis, 108 pages, color illustrations, plans)