A group of studies, including two of classical heads, and architectural and decorative schemes

'Athenian' Stuart became chiefly celebrated for his 'Antiquities of Athens', which he co-published with Nicholas Revett (1720-1804), following their time spent examining and recording in detail the architecture of the city. The first volume appeared in 1762, three later volumes were also published, but these only appeared posthumously. This publication was the first serious attempt to record the architecture of ancient Greece and proved influential on later 18th Century understanding of the culture. As a result, Stuart became sought after as both an architect and decorative designer. The breadth of his influence is demonstrated by the variety of different areas in which he was involved, from designing London town houses and villas and numerous garden buildings as well as monuments, sculpture, medals, furnishing metalwork.

Drawings by James 'Athenian' Stuart are relatively rare, as his personal collection of papers and drawings disappeared sometime in the 19th Century. The RIBA has various views in bodycolour of Athens, as well as some designs for medals, architectural drawings and a sketchbook dated 1748. There are also some drawings by him in the collection of Edinburgh University Library and further drawings for decorative designs are in the Morgan Library, New York.

We are grateful to Dr. Kerry Bristol and Dr. Frank Salmon for supporting the attribution of these drawings.