The National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
Washington DC
1936-1941
John Russell Pope (1847-1937)
The Pantheon-style dome originally proposed for the National Capitol established the precedent for making the dome a signature motif for many American public buildings. John Russell Pope used the Pantheon form for the central feature of his design for the National Gallery of Art, conspicuously sited on the Washington Mall.
Pope's composition, with its sprawling wings, resembles in outline Palladio's reconstruction drawings of ancient Roman baths. Although not published by Palladio, these drawings eventually engraved for Lord Burlington's Fabbriche Antiche disegnate da Andrea Palladio vicentino (1730), while Charles Cameron measured and surveyed the baths for his own publication,The Baths of the Romans (1772).
Pope's composition in particular resembles Palladio's elevation of the Baths of Agrippa although Palladio mistakenly assumed that the Pantheon was part of Agrippa's complex. We cannot be sure that Pope saw this engraving, but it is not unreasonable to assume that Pope was aware of such images and that they influenced the nation's premier museum building.
Dimensions: 17"w x 8"h x 9"d
Weight: 19lbs
Scale:1:1270
$740.00 / £462.50
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