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Sir William Chambers
Sir William Chambers
[[File:Sir-william-chambers-1-sized.jpg‎]]
[[File:Sir-william-chambers-1-sized.jpg‎]]
23. 2. 1723 Göteborg, † 8. 3. 1796 London;
 
== Life and the beginnings of his career ==


born: (23rd February) 1723 in Göteborg (Sweden)
born: (23rd February) 1723 in Göteborg (Sweden)
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The publication in a handsome volume of the designs for these buildings assured his position in the profession. He was employed to teach architectural drawing to the prince of Wales (later George III), and gained further professional distinction in 1759 by the publication of his Treatise of Civil Architecture. He began to exhibit with the Society of Artists in 1761 at Spring Gardens, and was one of the original members and treasurer of the Royal Academy when it was established in 1768. In 1772 he published his Dissertation on Oriental Gardening, which attempted to prove the inferiority of European to Chinese landscape gardening. As a furniture designer and internal decorator he is credited with the creation of that "Chinese Style" which was for a time furiously popular, although Thomas Chippendale had published designs in that manner at a somewhat earlier date. It is not unreasonable to count the honors as divided, since Chippendale unquestionably adapted and altered the Chinese shapes in a manner better to fit them for European use. To the rage for every possible form of chinoiserie, for which he is chiefly responsible, Sir William Chambers owed much of his success in life. He became architect to the king and queen, comptroller of his majesty's works, and afterwards surveyor-general. In 1775 he was appointed architect of Somerset House, his greatest monument, at a salary of £2000 a year. He also designed town mansions for Earl Gower at Whitehall and Lord Melbourne in Piccadilly, built Charlemont House, Dublin, and Duddingston House near Edinburgh. He designed the market house at Worcester, was employed by the earl of Pembroke at Wilton, by the duke of Marlborough at Blenheim, and by the duke of Bedford in Bloomsbury. The state coach of George III, his constant patron, was his work; it is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Although his practice was mainly Classic, he made Gothic additions to Milton Abbey in Dorset. Sir William Chambers achieved considerable distinction as a designer of furniture. In addition to his work in the Chinese style and in the contemporary fashions, he was the author of what is probably the most ambitious and monumental piece of furniture ever produced in England. This was a combined bureau, dressing-case, jewel-cabinet and organ, made for Charles IV, king of Spain, in 1793. These combination pieces were in the taste of the time, and the effort displays astonishing ingenuity and resource. The panels were painted by W. Hamilton, R.A., with representations of the four seasons, night and morning, fire and water, Juno and Ceres, together with representations of the Golden Fleece and the Immaculate Conception. The organ, in the domed top, is in a case decorated with ormolu and Wedgwood. This remarkable achievement, which possesses much sober elegance, formed part of the loan collection of English furniture at the Franco-British Exhibition in London in 1908. Sir William Chambers numbered among his friends Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, Joshua Reynolds, David Garrick and Dr. Burney.


Author of books:
== Published works and further career ==
Designs for Chinese Buildings (1757, architecture)
 
Treatise of Civil Architecture (1759, architecture)
He published a volume of designs for the buildings in Kew (1757).
Dissertation on Oriental Gardening (1772)
Chambers began to teach architectural drawing to Prince George of Wales (later George III).
Treatise of Civil Architecture was published in 1759. He became an important architect and exhibited at Spring Gardens 1761. He was one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768. In 1772 he published his dissertation on Oriental Gardening.
He became architect to the king and queen and surveyor-general.
 
 
 
== Buildings: ==
 
 
Somerset House, town mansions for Earl Gower at Whitehall and Lord Melbourne in Piccadilly, Charlemont House, Dublin, and Duddingston House near Edinburgh, market house at Worcester
state coach of George III (now in the Victoria and Albert Museum)
 
Furthermore he built a lot of furniture. One among these was a combined bureau, dressing-case, jewel-cabinet and organ( made for Charles IV, king of Spain, 1793).
 
Cited Works
 
http://www.irish-architecture.com/architects_ireland/chambers.html 2010-01-18.
 
http://www.wissen.de/wde/generator/wissen/ressorts/bildung/index,page=1073800.html 2010-01-19.
 
http://images.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nndb.com/people/955/000104643/sir-william-chambers-1-sized.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nndb.com/people/955/000104643/&usg=__UhbI1Tp92yyYzqddNjQRMMTJBRM=&h=319&w=274&sz=20&hl=de&start=3&um=1&tbnid=Av_DnG11IkqPXM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3DWilliam%2BChambers%26hl%3Dde%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1 2010-01-18.
 
 
http://lh4.ggpht.com/archilogy/R89_Dp0uCkI/AAAAAAAAAXs/RI9A36TLse8/s800/Pagoda_Kew_Gardens.jpg 2010-01-18.

Revision as of 19:57, 19 January 2010

Sir William Chambers

Life and the beginnings of his career

born: (23rd February) 1723 in Göteborg (Sweden) died: (8th march) 1796 in London

He was the son of a Scottish family of merchants. At the age of sixteen he started to work for the Swedish East India Company. During his voyages he visited Canton in China. There he made drawings of Chinese architecture, furniture and costumes. He began to study architecture. He studied it in Rome in Italy and in Paris in France. In Rome he lived together with Wilton. When he went to England he married Wilton's daughter. He build a lot of houses. His first important building was a villa for Lord Bessborough at Roehampton. He became famous for his grounds and buildings in Kew between 1757 and 1762 for Augusta, Princess Dowager of Wales. One of the buildings that survived is the Pagoda:


Published works and further career

He published a volume of designs for the buildings in Kew (1757). Chambers began to teach architectural drawing to Prince George of Wales (later George III). Treatise of Civil Architecture was published in 1759. He became an important architect and exhibited at Spring Gardens 1761. He was one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768. In 1772 he published his dissertation on Oriental Gardening. He became architect to the king and queen and surveyor-general.


Buildings:

Somerset House, town mansions for Earl Gower at Whitehall and Lord Melbourne in Piccadilly, Charlemont House, Dublin, and Duddingston House near Edinburgh, market house at Worcester state coach of George III (now in the Victoria and Albert Museum)

Furthermore he built a lot of furniture. One among these was a combined bureau, dressing-case, jewel-cabinet and organ( made for Charles IV, king of Spain, 1793).

Cited Works

http://www.irish-architecture.com/architects_ireland/chambers.html 2010-01-18.

http://www.wissen.de/wde/generator/wissen/ressorts/bildung/index,page=1073800.html 2010-01-19.

http://images.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nndb.com/people/955/000104643/sir-william-chambers-1-sized.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nndb.com/people/955/000104643/&usg=__UhbI1Tp92yyYzqddNjQRMMTJBRM=&h=319&w=274&sz=20&hl=de&start=3&um=1&tbnid=Av_DnG11IkqPXM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3DWilliam%2BChambers%26hl%3Dde%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1 2010-01-18.


http://lh4.ggpht.com/archilogy/R89_Dp0uCkI/AAAAAAAAAXs/RI9A36TLse8/s800/Pagoda_Kew_Gardens.jpg 2010-01-18.

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