ADAM, Robert. Ruins of the Palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia. London: Privately Printed, 1764. [31260] First Edition. Folio. Beautifully bound in contemporary figured calf boards with some light scuffing with a lovely later respine to style, with black title label and tooling to spine, boards ruled in heavy gilt neo-classical style using tools designed by Robert Adam himself. All edges gilt. With sixty-one engraved plates and maps including some double page plates and several folding. A remarkably clean and fresh copy with none of the usual problems this book is heir too, very little foxing or browning and with generous wide margins, much at odds with the more commonly seen copies where the margins have been cropped to the plate line.

First edition in the presentation binding designed by Adam. Robert Adam spent five weeks in Spalatro in July-August 1757, accompanied by Clerisseau and two other draughtsmen, making the drawings that are the basis of the present volume. Adam's original intention had been to go to Greece to produce a work to rival that of Stuart and Revett, but his decision to go to Spalatro instead, and to record the late Roman imperial palace there, offered particular opportunities for grand engravings in the manner of Piranesi. Publication of the book took some years, for production of the engravings was shared between a team of Italian engravers (Bartolozzi, Cunego, Santini, Zocchi) supervised in Venice by his brother James, and English engravers who produced the simpler elevations and ground plans. The result was a volume of very considerable distinction which advertised Adam's taste and professional abilities, as well as showing that Roman architecture could be as impressive as the best Greek buildings portrayed by Stuart and Revett.

Robert and James Adam have long been credited with giving birth to the eighteenth century neo classical movement that changed the face of architecture in Britain. Robert Adam studied with and became friends with Piranesi in Italy and their views on architectural development clearly ran along similar clean, classical lines. The study of the Palace of Diocletian is crediting with cementing the neo-classical concepts in the minds of the Adam brothers. Replete with inspiration the brothers embarked upon the ambitious and soaring construction that is known as The Adelphi, not a success at the time, it later went on to become one of London’s most celebrated buildings. The Adams are also credited with the creation of the distinctive uniform classical facade running along the fronts of terraced townhouses, one of London’s most distinctive architectural idiosyncracies. The brothers designed Kenwood House, Syon House and are also responsible for Fitzroy Square and Portland Place. It would be more than fair to say that nearly every major London building since the eighteenth century was built in accordance with or at least in deference to their theories and design imperatives.

This item is available, along with many others, from Adrian Harrington (£24,500).