More Maussollomania

Sir Christopher Wren, St Paul's Cathedral, London:  longitudinal section of the Great Model
Architectural drawing of the St Paul’s Cathedral model, c. 1725 (source: Royal Academy).

I’m still digging through the layers of different Maussolleion reconstructions. Christopher Wren’s original designs for St Paul’s Cathedral (planned from 1668 onwards but not finished until 1710) included a Maussolleion-inspired lantern that is of great importance in this context. Although never realised, the designs are recorded on both paper (above) and in 3D in the “Great Model” (below). These later inspired Wren’s pupil, Nicholas Hawksmoor, for St George’s Church in Bloomsbury. See also the beautiful new book by Vaughan Hart, Christopher Wren. In Search of Eastern Antiquity (New Haven 2020), that covers the dialogue between architecture and archaeology in the time of the “Wren Office”.

Inside The Model Of St Paul's | Spitalfields Life
The “Maussolleion” lantern for St Paul’s Cathedral (source: Spitalfields Life).

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *