Description
An architectural drawing by Thomas Jefferson shows his plan for the Rotunda, the centerpiece of his design for the University of Virginia. He began this ink-and-pencil drawing of the south elevation of the Rotunda in 1818 and finished it on March 29, 1819. Architectural elements for the building, which housed the universitys library, include a portico, Corinthian columns, and a dome with an oculus. Jeffersons plan was inspired by sixteenth-century Italian architect Andrea Palladios drawings of the Roman Pantheon. Citation: Thomas Jefferson Architectural Drawings, University Archives, Special Collections, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
