Revised study for the organ case, excluding the base, and with alternatives for the relief decoration; intended for the choir screen

WRE/4/1/2

c.1693

Sir Christopher (1632–1723) Wren, Nicholas (c.1662–1736) Hawksmoor, Grinling (1648–1721) Gibbons

Pen and brown ink over pencil under-drawing, with brown wash and additions in pencil. Thick, smooth laid paper; modern repair to diagonal tear and small loss at upper right. 52.6 x 38.1 cm. Watermark: Strasbourg lily WR

{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang2057{\fonttbl{\f0\fswiss\fprq2\fcharset0 Microsoft Sans Serif;}{\f1\fswiss\fprq2\fcharset0 System;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue128;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\cf1\f0\fs20 Drawn jointly by Hawksmoor and Gibbons, this design is an early proposal for an organ above the entrance to the choir. Datable c.1693. Implied scale (as for WRE/4/1/1), just under 2 ft to 1 inch (10 ft = 25.8 mm).\par Similar in detailing and overall width to the case in WRE/4/1/1 (about 20 ft wide above the base), it would have been too tall for an arcade arch if set on the same base and must be a proposal for an organ over the screen. \par \par The royal coat of arms at the centre also indicates this position. The towers of the case are nearly 1 ft wider than in WRE/4/1/1, and the entablature now runs across a taller central bay to create single rectangular case, its middle section with carved curtains drawn back beneath a lambrequin border, and its outer bays crowned by pedimented panels bearing roundels of William and Mary. Gibbons drew a wealth of alternative sculptural ornament, exquisitely rendered in pen and wash. The standing cherubs on the left prefigure those he was to carve on the panels over the Lord Mayor\rquote s and Bishop\rquote s stalls on the north and south sides of the stalls in 1696-97 (see Esterly 1998, pp.162-67). \cf0\b\f1\par }

Access to the Wren office drawings held at London Metropolitan Archives is available only with advance notice and at the discretion of the Heritage Services Director, London Metropolitan Archives, 40 Northampton Road, London, EC1R 0HB.

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