Drawings made to describe or record

Drawings made to describe or record

  • Terracotta Models by Giambologna for the Fountain of the Apennine with a Detail of the Base of the Fountain of Sampson

    Terracotta Models by Giambologna for the Fountain of the Apennine with a Detail of the Base of the Fountain of Sampson, Pietro Francavilla, 1560 - 1602. Museum no. E.695-1993

    Terracotta Models by Giambologna for the Fountain of the Apennine with a Detail of the Base of the Fountain of Sampson
    Pietro Francavilla (1548-1615)
    Italy
    1560 - 1602
    Ink and chalk on laid paper
    Width 10 cm x height 13.7 cm
    Museum no. E.695-1993

    Francavilla was Giambologna’s assistant and it is thought that he made these drawings as a record of models stored in the studio.

  • View in Borrowdale of Mountains and a Tree

    View in Borrowdale of Mountains and a Tree, John Constable, 1806. Museum no. 187-88

    View in Borrowdale of Mountains and a Tree
    John Constable (1776-1837)
    Britain
    1806
    Pencil and water-colour on wove paper
    Width 27.3 cm x height 19.1 cm
    Museum no. 187-88
    Isobel Constable Bequest

    The inscription on the reverse of the drawing: ‘Borrowdale 4 Oct 1806 - Dark Autumnal day at noon – tone more blooming that [‘that’ scored out] this… the effect exceedingly terrific [‘terrific’ scored out] terrific – and much like the beautiful Gaspar I saw in Margaret St.’ makes it clear that Constable was concentrating on capturing or recording a specific light effect.

  • The Gallery at Syon

    The Gallery at Syon, Unknown, about 1820. Museum no. E.1063-1940

    The Gallery at Syon
    Unknown
    Britain
    About 1820
    Pen and ink and watercolour on paper
    Museum no. E.1063-1940

    This drawing records the appearance of the gallery at Syon and was reproduced exactly in 'The works of architecture of Robert and James Adam, volume III, plate II, 1822'.

  • Studies of Lemon Blossom

    Studies of Lemon Blossom, Frederic Leighton, 1859. Museum no. E.3803-1910

    Studies of Lemon Blossom
    Frederic Leighton (1830-1896)
    Britain
    1859
    Pencil on toned wove paper
    Width 15.7 cm x height 22.8 cm
    Museum no. E.3803-1910

    Leighton made this on-the-spot study in Capri. He records on the sheet 'buds pink violet'. Although blossom of this kind appears again and again in his paintings this drawing was made in order to extend his understanding of the details of the blossom and their relationship to each other with no specific painting in mind.

  • Diagrammatic Copy to Reduced Scale of Part of a Textile Design

    Diagrammatic Copy to Reduced Scale of Part of a Textile Design, Unknown, about 1885-1905. Museum no. E.1126-1970

    Diagrammatic Copy to Reduced Scale of Part of a Textile Design
    Unknown
    Britain
    About 1885-1905
    Ink on wove tracing paper
    Width 12.3 cm x height 3.4 cm
    Museum no. E.1126-1970

    This drawing is from a credit book compiled by the textile manufacturer, Arthur H.Lee & Sons Ltd, 1885-1905 as a source of ready reference. The design for the textile is also in the V&A’s collection.

  • Drawing to Illustrate Lectures on Botany

    Drawing to Illustrate Lectures on Botany, Christopher Dresser, about 1855. Museum no. 3968

    Drawing to illustrate lectures on Botany, given at the Government School of Design,
    Christopher Dresser (1834-1904)
    Britain
    About 1855
    Pencil and water-colour
    Width 75.5 x height 55 cm
    Museum no. 3968

    Christopher Dresser, designer and writer on design, began his career teaching botany. This is one of a series of drawings of elements of flowers that he drew in a diagrammatic form to help him explain principles of biology.

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