English: Plate 26, Chimneypiece to Hall, Houghton Hall, Norfolk

The Plans, Elevations and Sections, Chimney-pieces and Cielings [sic] of Houghton in Norfolk, 1735 V&A Museum no. 13095

Techniques - Etching and engraving, ink on paper

Artist/designer - Isaac Ware, born before 1704 - died 06/01/1766 (draughtsmen and publisher), William Kent, born before 1685 - died 12/04/1748 (designer), Paul Fourdrinier, born 1720 - died 1758 (print-maker)

Place - London, England (published)

Dimensions - Height 39.5 cm (paper), Width 26.6 cm (paper)

Object Type - This print by Paul Fourdrinier combines two printmaking techniques - etching and engraving. Both involved creating a pattern of grooves to hold ink in a metal printing plate. The image on the printing plate was the reverse of the final image. The etched lines were made using acid, while the engraved lines were scored by means of a sharp tool called a burin. The grooves were then filled with ink and the image was transferred onto a blank sheet of paper.

Place - Houghton Hall is a magnificent country house in Norfolk. It was built by Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister, in the 1720s and early 1730s. The bust on the mantelpiece is a portrait of Walpole.

Subjects Depicted - What appears to be a painting over the mantelpiece is in fact a sculpted relief depicting a Sacrifice to Diana. Diana was the classical goddess of hunting, recognisable by the crescent moon on her head.

Use -

Isaac Ware's book on Houghton Hall was published only a few years after the house was finished. It was a forerunner of the magazines available today, featuring the homes of the rich and famous.