Thomas Jefferson Papers
Documents filtered by: Period="post-Madison Presidency"
sorted by: recipient
Permanent link for this document:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-17-02-0130

Thomas Jefferson’s Specifications for Capitals at University of Virginia, [ca. 16 April 1821]

Specifications for Capitals at University of Virginia

[ca. 16 Apr. 1821]

Specification of the Corinthian & Ionic capitels wanting for the University.
for Pavilion No II. West [ 4. Corinthian capitels for columns whose inferior diameter is 28.I. English, & it’s diminishd diam. 252⁄10 I: to be copied exactly from the Corinthian capitel of Palladio, as given in his Ist Book wherein he treats of the orders in general and it’s 17th chapter in which he describes the Corinthian capitel particularly, the drawing of which is in plate XXVI. Leoni’s edition publd in London 1721.
for Pavilion No IV. East [ 2. Corinthian capitels for columns whose inferior diam. is 24.I. & diminished diameter 208⁄10 I. to be copied from those of the Thermae of Diocletian at Rome. this is not in Palladio, but is given by other authors, and particularly by Errard and Chambray in their Parallele de l’Architecture antique et moderne. Paris 1766. pa. 79. plate 33. I should prefer however to have only the ovolo of the Abacus carved, and it’s cavetto plain, as may be seen in Scamozz[i] Chambray’s edition B. II. chapt. V. Article 8. pa. 150. plate 36. nor would I require it’s volutes or caulicoles to be so much carved, as those of Diocletian’s Baths, finding the simplicity of those in Palladio preferable.
2. Corinthian half capitels, for half columns of the same model as the 2. columns last mentioned, being for the same range.
for Pavilion No I. East [ 4. Ionic capitels for columns whose lower diam. is 30 I. & dimind diam. 26½ to be copied from those of the temple of Fortuna virilis in Palladio. observing that the two middle capitels shew volutes in front and back and ballusters in their flanks1 and the two corner capitels are what he calls angular; that is to say presenting Volutes in their front & outer flank, and ballusters in their back and inner flank. see Palladio. B. IV. Ch. 13. pa. 65. plate 37. Leoni’s London edition.
for Pavilion No III. West [ 6. Ionic capitels for columns whose inferior diam. is 30.I. and dimind diam. 26⅛ to be copied from the capitel of Palladio as given in his Ist Book wherein he treats of the orders in general, and it’s 16th chapt. in which he describes the Ionic capitel particularly, the drawings of which are in plates 20. 22. pa. 28. Leoni’s London edition, presenting volutes in front & back & ballusters in their flanks.
In all these cases the Astragal of the upper end of the shaft must be subjoined to the corinthian2 capitel in the same block, because our columns being of brick, stuccoed, it cannot be carved on them: and to the Ionic capitels must be subjoined not only the Astragal, but a bit of the shaft itself as low as the bottom of the Volutes.

MS (ViU: TJP); entirely in TJ’s hand; edge trimmed. Enclosed in TJ to Thomas Appleton, 16 Apr. 1821 (first letter).

Pavilions no ii. west and no iv. east were later renamed pavilions III and VIII. caulicoles: “The eight lesser branches or stalks in the Corinthian capital springing out from the four greater or principal caules or stalks” (OED description begins James A. H. Murray, J. A. Simpson, E. S. C. Weiner, and others, eds., The Oxford English Dictionary, 2d ed., 1989, 20 vols. description ends ). Pavilions no i. east and no iii. west were later renumbered pavilions II and V.

1. Preceding five words interlined.

2. Word interlined.

Index Entries

  • Diocletian (Roman emperor); baths of search
  • Errard, Charles; Parallele de l’Architecture Antique avec la Moderne search
  • Fréart de Chambray, Roland; Parallele de l’Architecture Antique avec la Moderne search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; Specifications for Capitals at University of Virginia search
  • Leoni, Giacomo; The Architecture of A. Palladio search
  • Œuvres d’Architecture (V. Scamozzi) search
  • Palladio, Andrea; The Architecture of A. Palladio (G. Leoni) search
  • Palladio, Andrea; works of, as models for University of Virginia construction search
  • Parallele de l’Architecture Antique avec la Moderne (C. Errard and R. Fréart de Chambray) search
  • Scamozzi, Vincent; Œuvres d’Architecture search
  • The Architecture of A. Palladio (G. Leoni) search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; capitals for search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion II search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion III search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion V search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion VIII search

You Are Looking At

Source Project
Jefferson Papers
Title
Thomas Jefferson’s Specifications for Capitals at University of Virginia, [ca. 16 April 1821]
Author
Jefferson, Thomas
Date
16 April 1821

Reference

Cite as
“Thomas Jefferson’s Specifications for Capitals at University of Virginia, [ca. 16 April 1821],” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-17-02-0130. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 17, 1 March to 30 November 1821, ed. J. Jefferson Looney et al. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2020, pp. 133–134.]