Paul Sandby

Engraved by Edward Rooker for John Boydell, 1777.
This unusually fresh and complete watercolor shows Whitehall with part of the Banqueting House designed by Inigo Jones, one of whose original designs for the Banqueting House is in the Library's collection (acc. no. 1984.29). Although Sandby painted views in and around London such as those of Hyde Park and Bayswater, only a handful are of this scale and grandeur, which suggests that the present work was painted for a specific commission. In this composition, the perfect assimilation of the elegant figures with the complex architectural perspective shows the artist at the height of his powers.