Fragments of Classical Architecture
  • Charles Percier
  • Paris 1764 - 1838
  • Fragments of Classical Architecture, before 1798
  • Watercolour over pen and black ink, on paper
  • 210 × 184 mm
Provenance:
Ian Woodner, New York,
Sale Sotheby’s New York, 1995, lot 200
Literature:
Ch. Percier & P.-Fr.-L. Fontaine: Palais et Maisons
de Rome et de ses environs, Paris 1798
(proposal for the title page of the IV. Cahier),
Ch. Plante: Inside Out, London 2000, no. 12

As with the previous watercolour, Percier conceived this capriccio as an illustration for the extremely successful book on the architecture and decoration of Roman palaces and villas on which he collaborated with Fontaine (Fig.1). The printed commentary to this composition describes the origins of the individual fragments:

FragmenS de corniches, modillons et bases antiques tirés de differents édifices. La cimaise ornée de tête de lions, se voit sur la facade d’une maison près du pont Saint-Ange: les 2 modillons qui la supportent sont tirés de la maison dite de Pilate et la base du Museum du Vatican.