Vol. I: [T.p., dedic.] - Members Of The Society, MDCCLXIX. In The Order Of Their Seniority - Contents Of This Volume - To The Reader - [Text and pl.]. - Vol. II: [T.p.] - Dilettanti Society, MDCCXCVII - Contents Of The Two Volumes - To The Reader - [Text and pl.]. - Vol. III: [T.p.] - Society Of Dilettanti. An. Soc. CVII - Contents Of The Third Volume - Vignettes - [Text and pl.]. - Vol. IV: [Frontis. = Pl. 1] - Publications Of The Society Of Dilettanti - Preface - Members Of The Society Of Dilettanti, 1881 - Table Of Contents - List Of The Plates; List Of The Woodcuts - Introduction - [Text] - Appendix - [Plates]. - Vol. V: [Half-t., frontis., t.p.] - Society Of Dilettanti An. Soc. CLXXXI - Contents - Description Of The Plates; Vignettes On Title-Page - Introduction - [Text]; [colophon] - [Plates?].
Responsibility Note
In Volume I three pl. carry the name of a draughtsman (Borra, W. Pars); all carry the names of engravers: Jas. Mason, J. Basire, John Miller, G. Sherlock, T. White, J. Gwyn, J.P. Lebas, W. Byrne, Jas. Newton. Most headpieces and tailpieces are signed by engravers: I.P. Lebas, F. Bartolozzi, Mason, T. White, Sherlock, Woollett, Basire.
The dedication is to King George III from the Society of Dilettanti.
In Volume II some plates are signed as drawn by Pars or I. Mayer (or Myers); all are signed by engravers: Byrne, James Newton, S. Middiman. Decorations are signed as engraved by Newton or 'F'.
In Volume IV the various parts of the text are described as by Jas. Fergusson, C.T. Newton, R.P. Pullan, W. Watkiss Lloyd and F.C. Penrose. Most plates are signed by draughtsmen (R.P. Pullan, Edw. L. Falkener) and engraver (J. Penel). Each carries the publishers' imprint of the Society of Dilettanti. Most in-text illustrations are unsigned, but a few carry the signature of the draughtsman (Bernard, or E. Falkener), and one of these is also signed as engraved by Coste.
References
Royal Institute of British Architects, British Architectural Library ... Early printed books, 4 (2001), nos. 3123, 3125; E. Harris and N. Savage, British Architectural Books (1990), 847, 848, 850; Johns Hopkins University, The Fowler Architectural Collection (1961), no. 276, p.224.
L. Cust and S. Colvin, History of the Society of Dilettanti (1898). On the Greek Revival see D. Constantine, Early Greek travellers and the Hellenic ideal (1984), J.M. Crook, The Greek Revival (1972, rev. 1995); T. Spencer, Fair Greece sad relic (1954).
ESTC, T14765, T104763, T104764
Summary Note
The five volumes carry publication-dates of 1769 [with one pl. dated '1784'], 1798, 1840, 1881 [with all pl. dated '1880'] and 1915.
The titles of Volumes II-V read:
Vol. II: 'Antiquities Of Ionia, Published By The Society Of Dilettanti. Part The Second. London: Printed By W. Bulmer And Co. For George Nicol, Bookseller To His Majesty, Pall-Mall. MDCCXCVII.'
Vol. III: 'Antiquities Of Ionia, Published By The Society Of Dilettanti. Part The Third. London: Printed By W. Nicol, 60, Pall-Mall. Sold By Payne and Foss, Pall Mall; Longman And Co., Paternoster Row; Murray, Albemarle Street; Rodwell, Bond Street; And Weale, Holborn. MDCCCXL.'
Vol. IV: 'Antiquities Of Ionia. Published By The Society Of Dilettanti. Part The Fourth. London: Macmillan And Co., 29 And 30, Bedford Street, Covent Garden, W.C. 1881.'
Vol. V: 'Antiquities Of Ionia Published By The Society Of Dilettanti Part The Fifth Being A Supplement To Part III Macmillan And Co., Limited St. Martin's Street, London 1915'.
NB: The Royal Academy Library holds a complete copy of volumes I, II, and IV and an imperfect copy only of volume III. The first volume describes 1. the temple of Bacchus at Teos; 2. the temple of Minerva Polias at Priene; 3. the temple of Apollo Didymæus; 4. the temple at Iackly, near Mylasa. (The tailpiece of Chapter 4 is a map of part of Asia Minor.) The address 'To The Reader' states that the Society of Dilettanti sent to Ionia Mr Chandler, Mr Revett and Mr Pars, who spent from September 1764 to August 1765 making excursions from Smyrna, and from August 1765 to August 1766 in mainland Greece.
The second volume describes: 5. (Greece) ruin near Aegina, temple of Jupiter Panhellenius, temple of Minerva at Sunium, temple of Jupiter Nemæus near Argos, temple of Ceres at Eleusis; 6. (Ionia) theatre at Stratonicea, gymnasium at Ephesus, fragments of a temple, theatre at Miletus, stadium at Laodicea, plan of theatre at Laodicea, gymnasium at Troas, theatres at Jassus, Patara, Castell Rosso, Telmessus.
The fourth volume consists of 'Introduction. Origin of the Grecian Orders of Architecture'; 'History of Priene'; 'Teos'; 'The Sminthium'; 'Appendix'. The plates show views, plans, elevations and architectural details of: 1-21. the temple of Athene Polias and other structures at Priene; 22-25. Teos; 26-30. the Sminthium. In-text illustrations show views, plans and details of various monuments.
Provenance
[First set:] Volume I was presented to the Academy by the Society of Dilettanti before 20 January 1770 (RAA Council Minutes, I, 66); Volume II was almost certainly one of the books supplied by Josiah Taylor in August 1802 'to compleat the Sets already in the Library' (see RA Council Minutes III, 109-10, 154-55; Catalogue of the Library in the Royal Academy, London, 1802, p. 13).
[Second set:] Presented by the Society of Dilettanti in 1912 ('Librarian's Report', RA Annual Report for 1912, p. 41).
Copy Note
[First set:] Imperfect: wanting vols. III & V.
[Second set:] Imperfect: wanting all except for 82 plates from vols. III & IV. With the plates is a loose sheet of paper inscribed in ink, 'Plates from The Antiquities of Ionia. Part 3. Plates of Chapter 1. 6 to 10, 13 to 28, 30&31 = 23 plates. Plates of Chapter 2. 5 to 21, 23 to 27 = 22 plates. Plates of Chapter 3. 3, 5 to 8, 12&13, 16 to 18, 20 = 11 plates. Part 4. Frontispiece, 6 to 30 = 26 plates. Total 82 plates.'
Binding Note
[First set:] Vols. I, II: 20th-century half morocco, grey cloth-covered boards; spines lettered 'Society Of Dilettanti - Antiquities Of Ionia Part 1 (2) R.A. 1769 (1797)'.
Vol. IV: 19th-century quarter red morocco, green cloth-covered boards, upper cover lettered 'Antiquities Of Ionia Part IV'; spine lettered 'Antiquities Of Ionia'.
[Second set:] Loose plates in 20th-century green cloth-covered portfolio, spine inscribed in ink, 'The Antiquities Of Asia Minor - Plates'.
Antiquities, Greek - Architecture, Greek - Public buildings - Temples - Turkey - Teos (Extinct city) - Priene (extinct city) - Didyma (extinct city) - Temple of Dionysus (Teos) - Temple of Athene (Priene) - Temple of Apollo Didymaeus (Miletus) - Greece - History
British - Archaeology - Expeditions - Turkey - Greece - Description and travel - History - 18th century
Views - Great Britain - 18th century
Pictorial works - Great Britain - 18th century