Arthur S. Brockenbrough to Thomas Jefferson, 20 September 1823
From Arthur S. Brockenbrough
University of Va Sept 20 1823
Sir,
I have the pleasure of announcing1 to you the arrival of the Corinthian and Ionic Capitels of Marble ordered from Italy all of which are in their proper places without the smallest accident2 to them except the breaking off of a small part of one of the leaves of one3 of the Corinthians before it was unpacked but which has been carefully put on—I find them finished agreeable to your instructions except in the following particulars, All the Corinthian Capitels want the listel and cavetto which constitutes a part of the Astragal on the top of the shaft of the Column which you directed to be subjoined to the Capitel in the same block in consiquence of our columns being of brick,4 the upper part of the leaves of the Corinthian is not finished off as it should have been5 the eye when standing on the Gallery being above them, particularly those of the 8th Pavilion where the two small and two half Corinthian Capitels are placed6—The carving of the bead under the Ovolo of all the Ionic Capitels is omited which would have added greatly to their beauty, the workmanship of all I think is much inferior to the specimens given us by Michael Raggi in stone at this place most respectfuly your Obt Sevt
A. S. Brockenbrough P. U. Va
RC (ViU: TJP-PP); between dateline and salutation: “Thomas Jefferson Esqr Rector of the University of Va”; endorsed by TJ as received 26 Sept. 1823 and so recorded in SJL. Dft (ViU: TJP); lacking dateline, closing, and signature; endorsed by Brockenbrough: “Copy of my report on the Marble Capitels Sept 20. ’23.”
Brockenbrough provided TJ with a detailed breakdown of the cost of the corinthian and ionic capitels in an undated memorandum probably composed around 26 Aug. 1823, the date of the last itemized expense. He there stated that Thomas Appleton had obtained the capitals for $1,913 at Leghorn; premiums and losses on bills of exchange came to $142.04; customs duties and transportation to New York City added $648.88; freight to Richmond and other charges increased the total by $223.82; and their carriage, supervised by Lyman Peck, from that city to the University of Virginia via Scottsville resulted in the expenditure of an additional $286.30. In all, the capitals for pavilions II, III, V, and VIII cost the university $3,214.04 (MS in ViU: TJP-PP; in Brockenbrough’s hand and docketed by him: “Cost of the Marble Capitels delivered at the University Va”; endorsed by TJ: “Capitels. Corinthn & Ionic cost”). A more detailed and differently organized version of this memorandum in Brockenbrough’s hand, arriving at a total cost of $3,212.54, is in ViU: PP.
p. u. va: “Proctor of the University of Virginia.”
1. Word interlined in Dft in place of “reporting.”
2. Remainder of sentence in Dft reads “to individuals or capitels.”
3. Preceding two words interlined.
4. Text from “of the Column” to this point not in Dft.
5. Dft: “the upper part of the leaf is not sufficiently cleaned off.”
6. Dft: “particularly those of the two smallest <capitels> corinthians & the two half Capitels.”
Index Entries
- Appleton, Thomas; and capitals for University of Virginia search
- boats; carriage to and from Richmond search
- Brockenbrough, Arthur Spicer; as University of Virginia proctor search
- Brockenbrough, Arthur Spicer; letters from search
- building materials; bricks search
- Peck, Lyman; and capitals for University of Virginia search
- Raggi, Michele; as stonecutter at University of Virginia search
- Richmond, Va.; boat carriage to and from search
- taxes; customs search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; capitals for search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion VIII search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; stonemasons search