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Lot Essay
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, it was found impossible to restore what remained of old St. Paul's and it was decided that it should be demolished and rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren. Although the foundation stone was laid in 1674, it was not until 1709 that the building was finally completed. Funds came from a tax on coal. Wren feared that as costs mounted, there might be pressure either to scale down his designs or abort the project half completed. He, therefore, chose to start work on the whole ground-plan simultaneously, layer by
layer, rather than by section. He was indeed justified in taking
precautions for in 1697, a Parliamentary committee, exasperated by the slow rate of progress, voted that his salary of 200 should be reduced by half. It was not until 1711, after personally petitioning Queen
Anne, that he received his arrears, by which time he was nearly eighty years old.
This picture of St. Paul's viewed from the north west, appears to derive from a large line engraving entitled Prospects of the Cathedral church of St. Paul's London, published by Joseph Smith of Exeter Exchange in 1720.
The imposing west front of the cathedral is approached by a wide flight of step rising to a portico of twelve paired column. Above this rises another portico of eight paired columns supporting a high pediment surmounted by statues of St. Paul, St. Peter and St. James by the sculptor Francis Bird. In 1712, Bird's statue of Queen Anne was erected in the foreground of the West Front to commemorate the completion of the Cathedral. Around the Queen are statues of women who depict England, France, Ireland and North America. The railings encircling the cathedral were erected in 1711 and were denounced by Dean Milman as 'an ugly misplaced fence'.
What is unique about this painting and gives it its charm is the staffage in the foreground. This includes clergy, London visitors, a stage waggon pulled by horses, and two figures involved in the sport of fighting with quarter-staffs surrounded by a large crowd.
Wren's designs for fifty-one churches after the Great Fire was an outstanding contribution to the appearance of London. Soaring above homes and shops, Wren's intricate spires aptly symbolised the dynamism of a community which had literally been rebor from its own ashes. St. Paul's Cathedral still dominates London's skyline today and is recognised as one of the finest churches in Europe.
layer, rather than by section. He was indeed justified in taking
precautions for in 1697, a Parliamentary committee, exasperated by the slow rate of progress, voted that his salary of 200 should be reduced by half. It was not until 1711, after personally petitioning Queen
Anne, that he received his arrears, by which time he was nearly eighty years old.
This picture of St. Paul's viewed from the north west, appears to derive from a large line engraving entitled Prospects of the Cathedral church of St. Paul's London, published by Joseph Smith of Exeter Exchange in 1720.
The imposing west front of the cathedral is approached by a wide flight of step rising to a portico of twelve paired column. Above this rises another portico of eight paired columns supporting a high pediment surmounted by statues of St. Paul, St. Peter and St. James by the sculptor Francis Bird. In 1712, Bird's statue of Queen Anne was erected in the foreground of the West Front to commemorate the completion of the Cathedral. Around the Queen are statues of women who depict England, France, Ireland and North America. The railings encircling the cathedral were erected in 1711 and were denounced by Dean Milman as 'an ugly misplaced fence'.
What is unique about this painting and gives it its charm is the staffage in the foreground. This includes clergy, London visitors, a stage waggon pulled by horses, and two figures involved in the sport of fighting with quarter-staffs surrounded by a large crowd.
Wren's designs for fifty-one churches after the Great Fire was an outstanding contribution to the appearance of London. Soaring above homes and shops, Wren's intricate spires aptly symbolised the dynamism of a community which had literally been rebor from its own ashes. St. Paul's Cathedral still dominates London's skyline today and is recognised as one of the finest churches in Europe.