1823 Aquatint Engraving John Plaw Cow Ox House Barn Ferme Ornee Pastoral JPA1
Depicted is a design for a double cow or ox house. The central area provides passage to tend to the animals and the roof continues below the wall plates to keep rain out. Plaw noted that this type of loft, called a "linhay" was common in Devonshire, England.
The renderings are superbly aquatinted with drypoint and engraving. The artistry and craftsmanship provides clear differentiation of areas and materials in the plans and sections, as well as beautiful and artistic elevations with nuance and atmosphere. The original intaglio plate impression has been retained, occasionally evincing the original wiping process prior to the printing in 1823.
John Plaw
John Plaw (1746 - 1820)
Plaw was born in London, England to John and Mary Plaw in 1746. Plaw's interest in architecture had rather humble beginnings when, in his teens, he was apprenticed to Thomas Kaygill, a member of the Tyler's and Bricklayers' Company of London. Plaw became a bricklayer, working from September 1759 until January 1768, at which time he gained freedom by service.
While still an apprentice, Plaw received an architectural award from the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce; his submission, a detailed drawing of Banqueting House in Whitehall, England, provides evidence he intently studied the Palladian movement and classical styles. Plaw continued to refine his skills, developing into a promising architect. In 1774, he completed plans for a circular villa in the Palladian style on Lake Windermere for Thomas English, a coffee merchant. Plaw would come to favor this circular design in the neoclassical style and it would come to influence Plaw's contemporaries, including German architectural historian Christian Ludwig Stieglitz's, who ultimately included Plaw's work in his book of selected drawings. In 1775, Plaw exhibited his first architectural drawings at the Royal Academy of Arts; this would be the first of thirteen exhibitions of his work at the Royal Academy.
Though an accomplished builder and architect in the city of Westminster, Plaw received many of his commissions for country buildings. This focus would become his specialty; in 1795 he moved to Southampton, where he remained for twelve years designing military barracks on the Isle of Wight and designing houses for Albion Place, a planned residential area. In 1807, Plaw immigrated to Prince Edward Island, Canada, becoming an architect to the Island's government and acting as surveyor general during Thomas Wright's absences. Few of his submissions were ever built, and the few that were have been destroyed or demolished. Only three standing structures are currently credited to Plaw.
Plaw's main contribution to architecture and his lasting significance, however, came from his writings; while still in England he published three major works pertaining to the design of country homes. His writings were influential in both Britain and on the European continent, being read by architects, master builders, and members of the gentry. His books also had influence in North America, where a tradition of relying on carpenters and mechanics working from books in rural areas to design and construct buildings existed. It was through pattern books that Palladian, Greek Revival, and neoclassical styles spread, persisting as the early national style. Plaw's and others' promotion of ferme ornée identifies a growing preoccupation with the pastoral, a plentiful landscape at once bountiful and beautiful. Ferme ornée, and Plaw's contributions to it, came to heavily influence the design of both public and private spaces in America, influencing land use, landscape, and home design as the United States began to suburbanize in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
CONDITION
This 188+ year old Item is rated Very Fine +++. Light foxing and aging. No creases. No natural defects.No surface rub.No tears. No water damage. Please note: There is a plate impression bordering the image in this print. Please also note there are three spots of moderate foxing in the upper left margin.
- Product Type: Original Aquatint Engraving; Monochrome
- Grade: Very Fine +++
- Dimensions: Approximately 7 x 10.25 inches; 18 x 26 cm
- Authentication: Serial-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
- Protection: Packaged in a custom archival sleeve with an acid-free black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)
Period Paper is pleased to present an incredibly rare portfolio featuring architectural plans by John Plaw for the Ferme Ornée, or Òdecorated farmÓ from the year 1823. An 18th century word, ÒFerme OrnéeÓ describes country estates embellished with picturesque effects and landscapes while maintaining the farm's production. Often, these estates incorporated elements of landscape design and horticulture well-suited for plantations, walks, and parks as demonstrated by this beautiful aquatint engraved collection. Notable figures who embraced Ferme Ornée include Thomas Jefferson, Phillip Southcote, William Shenstone, Marie Antoinette, and Frederick Law Olmstead. Featured within the portfolio are elevations, sectional views and decorative elements of fishing houses, pavilions, shooting lodges, cottages, fences, a dog kennel and more to suggest the beauty and aesthetics of the English garden. The portfolio was printed for J. Taylor of the Architectural Library of London, and printed by S. Gosnell of Little Queen Street, London. To view more images from this collection, please see the link offered at the bottom of the page.
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