Robert Adam & his brothers; their lives, work & influence on English architecture, decoration and furniture . ived and are appreciated to-day no less than were the ori-ginal designs, from which laterartists have derived theirgeneral ideas of order to form some con-ception of the depth of theimpression created at thetime, by the originality andinnovations of Robert Adam,it is necessary to realise howwidely different were theschemes to which the countryhad hitherto been accus-tomed ; indeed, to use thewords of the brothers them-selves, it may be truly saidthat they produced a kindof
Robert Adam & his brothers; their lives, work & influence on English architecture, decoration and furniture . ived and are appreciated to-day no less than were the ori-ginal designs, from which laterartists have derived theirgeneral ideas of order to form some con-ception of the depth of theimpression created at thetime, by the originality andinnovations of Robert Adam,it is necessary to realise howwidely different were theschemes to which the countryhad hitherto been accus-tomed ; indeed, to use thewords of the brothers them-selves, it may be truly saidthat they produced a kindof revolution in the wholesystem of this useful andelegant art. Though theoriginal suggestions were de-rived by the brothers fromRoman work direct, or bor-rowed from it through thework of the Cinquecentoartists, the credit that is due to them is in no wise diminished on that account, for to them we owean application of the ancient treatment that expresses a distinct in-dividuality of a widely different type (Figs. 46, 47). The contemporarypopularity of the designs of Robert Adam speedily produced innumer-9. 40.—Chimnky-piece, No. 21 Port-land Place. 66 THE LIVES AND WORK OF ROBERT AND JAMES ADAM ^?H^^BHB jPjBjBWjjgg able imitators, who executed work so closely resembling the styleof the brothers, that it is now, to say the least, not infrequently amatter of considerable difficulty to distinguish between their workand that of their imitators. Though some of those who designedin the new manner strongly resented the imputation of imitatinganyone, the fact remains undisputed that work of this kind wasunknown in England until it was introduced in the designs of Robert Adam and subsequently inthose of his brother, James. Prob-ably few contemporary designersadopted schemes similar to thoseof the brothers in a more exten-sive manner than James Wyatt,who is known as the restorer ofthe cathedrals, and as the onlyarchitect who has occupied thepresidential chair of the RoyalAcademy of Arts
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