Adam, Robert; architect; b. July 3, 1728, at Kirkcaldy, Scotland; d. March 3, 1792.
Robert Adam was the second son of William Adam, and the most eminent of the four brothers Adam: John, Robert, James, and William. He was educated at Edinburgh University and visited Italy in 1754. He visited also Dalmatia, and published the Ruins of the Palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia (London, 1764, 1 vol. folio with engravings by Bartolozzi). In association with his brothers hr began in 1768 to build the Adelphi (London), a vast terrace constructed on arches which contain warehouses and support streets and houses. The brothers, especially Robert and James, seem to have originated the practice of grouping unimportant London houses into masses having the appearance of single imposing edifices. They were especially successful in designing the interior arrangement, decoration, and furniture of residences. They commenced the publication of their works in 1773. The second volume was completed in 1778. A posthumous third volume was added, and the whole published in 1822 with the title, Works in Architecture of the late Robert and James Adam, Etqs., complete in three vols, with 125 plates engraved by Bartolozzi, Piranesi, etc. Robert Adam was buried in Westminster Abbey.
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Adam, James; architect; b. July 21, 1732; d. October 20, 1794.
James Adam was one of the four sons of William Adam, and appears to have ranked next to Robert Adam in reputation. It is not possible now to separate the work of the brothers. His name appears with that of Robert in the title of their Works in Architecture.
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It is through the letters of Robert and James Adam from Rome that a history of the development of the Ichnographia Campus Martius unfolds. When first conceived, the Ichnographia was to be part of Le Antichità Romane, but Robert Adam later convinced Piranesi to publish the Ichnographia within its own separate volume. Ultimately, the Ichnographia was published within Il Campo Marzio dell'Antica Roma on or just before 21 May 1762.
The excerpts of the letters of Robert and James Adam furnished below come from John Fleming, Robert Adam and his Circle in Edinburgh and Rome (London: John Murray, 1962), passim.
Robert Adam was at Rome from 24 February 1755 to early May 1757. James Adam was at Rome from 24 February 1761 to May 1763.
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18 June 1755
Piranesi, who is I think the most extraordinary fellow I ever saw, is becoming immencely intimate with me and as he imagined at first that I was like the other English who had a love of antiques without knowledge, upon seeing some of my sketches and drawings was so highly delighted that he almost ran quite distracted and said I have more genius for the true noble architecture than any Englishman ever was in Italy. ... [Piranesi] threatens dedicating his next plan of ancient Rome to me, but of this I have no certainty; and he swears whenever he can find opportunity he will thrust me into all his prints as a gentleman of that love, that taste and that genius for Ancient Architecture, who admired such things so much that he got modellers to copy them in order to instil that taste in the minds of his countrymen.
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Within the first volume of Le Antichità Romane are a series of plans of ancient Rome: baths of Titus, topographical map, barracks of Tiberius, baths of Caracalla, nymphaeum of Nero, baths of Diocletian, Forum Romanum, Capitoline Hill. When combined with the Ichnographia Campus Martius these plans constitute an almost complete plan of ancient Rome.
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Robert Adam is here referring to the plans within the first volume of Le Antichità Romane as mentioned above.
below: detail from Plan of the ancient Forum Romanum, Le Antichità Romane, vol. 1.
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4 July 1755
... so amazing and ingenious fancies as he [Piranesi] has produced in the different plans of the Temples, Baths and Palaces and other buildings I never saw and are the greatest fund for inspiring and instilling invention in any lover of architecture that can be imagined. Chambers, who courted Piranesi's friendship with all the assiduity of a lover, never could bring him even to do a sketch of any one thing, and told me I would never be able to get anything from him. So much is he out of his calculation that he has told me that whatsoever I want of him he will do for me with pleasure, and is just now doing two drawings for me which will be both singualr and clever. ... [Piranesi] having seen some of [my] sketches was so satisfied with them and with the collection of antique things I have got casts of, that he has absolutely changed his resolution of dedicating his plan of ancient Rome to one of the Cardinals here and has dedicated it to me with the title of Friend and Architect Dilectantissimo nella Antichità! ... It will cost me some sous in purchasing eighty or an hundred copies of it.
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1 August 1755
I have just dined and I have an appointment with abbé Grant to go to Piranesi's in two hours... I have just returned from my visit with Piranesi who in a month will expose my illustrious name to the world in the plan he dedicates to me which is joined in with others dedicated to Lord Charlemont an Irish Lord of great worth and character whose name is Caulfield. I will send some copies of this same work to Scotland that you may have the pleasure of seeing your Italian son's name handed down to the latest posterity, famed for his knowledge in that noble art of architecture.
[It appears that Piranesi's 'next plan' was to be published with the other plans within Le Antichità Romane.]
13 September 1755
[I] got [Piranesi] to finish the whole of Rome and to publish it alone without joining in a book whose principal dedication was to my Lord Charlemont, which made mine less regarded, whereas mine being sold separate all the world will purchase it and have no other name to detract from the honour of the intention.
[Piranesi's 'next plan' is now considered as a separate project and will eventually become the Ichnographia Campus Martius.
By October 1755 drawings and prints from another project by Piranesi, Magnificenza dei Romani, were being issued separately.]
9 April 1757
[The dedication was now engraved] in the most simple way could be invented in Latin to this purpose: To Robert Adam Britain, Patron of Architecture, This plate of Campus Martius is dedicated by John Batista Piranesi. Then in a frieze above is a medal, where Fame points to a piece of architecture and leans on my shoulder in the attitude of going off to proclaim my praises. Round the medal is this inscription: Robert Adam Architect, Member of the Academy of St Luke at Rome and of Florence and of the Institute of Bologna--all in Latin. In another medal Piranesi has put my head and his own joined, forming a Janus or double-faced head, with both the names of the dedicator and dedicated on it, but this was not finished when I saw it.
Dedication within the Ichnographia Campus Martius.
The final version of the dedication as printed in 1762 is not exactly the same as Robert Adam's 1757 description.
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16 January 1762
from James Adam to Robert Adam
Piranesi is advancing the Campus Martius as fast as the distressed situation of his private affairs will allow him, being at present extremely distressed with the irregular conduct of his wife, who, as we say in Scotland, has been too great with another man and so he has put her in a convent for her amusement.
21 May 1762
James Adam reported the dispatch of 'a cursed number' of the Campus Martius plates, some £120 worth, which Robert Adam anticipated having some difficulty selling.
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