ABSTRACT
The history of art, said Samuel Butler, is the history of revivals. The Classic Revival in England ran neck-and-neck with two Gothic Revivals. The situation was not unlike that of two-party government, with a shortage of independents, but with some members crossing the floor as occasion arose; some architects adopted both styles, and many classical plans were clothed with Gothic elevations. The most notable independent was John Soane (1753-1837), whose style is so individual and inimitable that he cannot be classed with any school; his chief affinity is with Piranesi. He is more influential on draughtsmanship, and as a patron ofperspectors, as he also is on account of his great collection of antique fragments, models and drawings now in the Soane Museum.
