Cunningham, Colin.

The terracotta designs of Alfred Waterhouse / Colin Cunningham.

London : Natural History Museum ; Chichester, West Sussex : Wiley-Academy, 2001.

192 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 28 cm

The Natural History Museum in London is one of Britain's finest examples of late Victorian architecture at its exuberant height. A decorative tour de force, it was conceived by Alfred Waterhouse, whose attention to detail in the creation of this masterpiece is legendary. The terracotta mouldings of flora and fauna adorning both interior and exterior of the building rival in richness and variety the equally renowned contents of the Museum's collections. This book presents a history of the development of Waterhouse's designs for these mouldings, setting them in the context of his work as a whole and of their manufacture. It acknowledges his courage in selecting the generally frowned upon medium of terracotta for the execution of the ornament, rather than the established and respected material of carved stone. It also provides a unique document of his exquisite pencil drawings for the individual blocks: although many of the drawings were destroyed when their practical use had expired, over 130 still survive, and are held in the Museum's Library. Seldom seen and never reproduced in their entirety, they bear witness to the fact that Waterhouse was not only a skilled architect but also an extremely accomplished draughtsman. This is a unique portrait of an ornamental scheme which influenced a generation at the end of the nineteenth century.

0471489492 (paperback)
9780471489498 (paperback)

Waterhouse, Alfred, 1830-1905 Criticism and interpretation.
Waterhouse, Alfred, 1830-1905.
Waterhouse, Alfred, 1830-1905 Critique et interprétation.
Waterhouse, Alfred, (1830-1905) Critique et interprétation.
Natural History Museum (London, England)
British Museum (Natural History)
Architectural drawing England Detailing.
Decoration and ornament, Architectural.
Terra-cotta sculpture England.
Artists' preparatory studies England.
Architectural drawing England London.
Architecture, Victorian.
Architectural terra-cotta England.
Decoration and ornament, Architectural England.
Architecture victorienne.
Terres cuites architecturales Angleterre.
Dessin d'architecture Angleterre Details.
Décoration et ornement architecturaux Angleterre.
Esquisses (Art) Angleterre.
Dessins de détail Angleterre.
Décoration et ornement architecturaux.
Terres cuites Angleterre.
architectural ornament.
Architectural terra-cotta
Architectural drawing
Architectural drawing Detailing
Artists' preparatory studies
Terra-cotta sculpture
Friezen (architectuur)
Bouwceramiek.
Terracotta.
Fabeldieren.
Heraldiek.
Arts décoratifs Motifs du règne animal.
Sculpture en terre cuite Grande-Bretagne.
Dessin d'architecture Grande-Bretagne 19e siècle.
England
England London

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Waterhouse, Alfred, 1830-1905.

Alfred Waterhouse

Location: Library main 215952
Call No.: NA44.W326.25 N3 2001
Status: Available