About the BRF Collection
The Byzantine Research Fund Archive (BRF) is a unique collection of architectural drawings, photographs and notebooks created from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century by a small team of British architects trained in the Arts & Crafts tradition whose studies of Byzantium shaped the Byzantine Revival in later years.
The collection contains over 1,500 drawings and 1,000 photographs, numerous notebooks and the corporate records associated with the Byzantine Research and Publication Fund, the original body created in 1907 to support this work. Although the Fund was associated with the BSA from the time it was founded, it was not until 1937 that the BSA formerly took over the property and operation of it. The BRF Archive contains records of Byzantine monuments in Greece, Turkey, Italy, the Near East, Egypt, and Cyprus. In some cases, the collection contains the only record of a monument before its destruction in modern times, the most important example being the church of Hagios Demetrios in Thessalonike which was almost completely destroyed in the Great Fire of 1917 shortly after being recorded by one of the BRF architects, Walter Sykes George. It also contains personal records of the following architects; Robert Weir Schultz, Sidney Howard Barnsley, Walter Sykes George, William Harvey, Harold Swainson, Peter Gus Corbett, and A.H.S (Peter) Megaw. The aspirations of the BRF Archive Project today are to make these materials accessible to a wide range of researchers.
Longitudinal section. The drawing is entitled: 'Church at Kaisariani: Attica', 'Longitudinal Section'.
Part of transverse section with iconography. The drawing depicts parts of the iconographic program in the dome and the holy bema. The wall-paintings in the naos follow the standard Byzantine/post-Byzantine iconographic program/scheme of church decoration. In terms of iconography, they follow well-established 16th-century Cretan School prototypes. In terms of style, they are rather conservative and date to the 18th century. Those of the narthex are less sophisticated with naïve/pictoresque details in the dense composistions. They date, according to a surviving inscription, to the 17th century. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Transverse section with iconography. The drawing depicts parts of the iconographic program in the naos and the narthex. The wall-paintings in the naos follow the standard Byzantine/post-Byzantine iconographic program/scheme of church decoration. In terms of iconography, they follow well-established 16th-century Cretan School prototypes.. In terms of style, they are rather conservative and date to the 18th century. Those of the narthex are less sophisticated with naïve/pictoresque details in the dense composistions. They date, according to a surviving inscription, to the 17th century. This is a preliminary drawing.
East elevation. Ornamental brickwork appears more emphatically on the east end and the north and south gables of the Kaisariani church. The drawing is entitled: 'Church at Kaesariani' 'East Elevation'.
North elevation. This side is the most elaborately decorated part of the monument. The north arm of the cross is emphasized by a single protruding arch forming a conch-headed recession. The drawing is numbered as follows: 'Attica No 7'. It is captioned: 'North Elevation' and 'Church at Kaesariani'. Further annotation in ink survives.
North elevation. This side is the most elaborately decorated part of the monument. The north arm of the cross is emphasized by a single protruding arch forming a conch-headed recession. The drawing is entitled: 'Church at Kaesariani' 'The North Elevation'.
Ground plan with placement of iconography. The plan depicts the iconographic scheme of the naos and the narthex. The drawing is numbered as follows: 'Attica No -'. It is captioned: 'Church at Kaisariane'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan with placement of iconography. The plan depicts the iconographic scheme of the naos and the narthex. This is a preliminary drawing. The word 'Kaisariani' appears in the right-hand corner.
East elevation (detail) - The bema window. Ornamental brickwork appears more emphatically on the east end and the north and south gables of the Kaisariani church. The Drawing depicts the bema window of the church. The window is double of the so-called 'grouped-type': the whole window is embraced in a single arch within which the individual lights are arched separately. The tympanum filling is in curvilinear form: the tile-courses follow concentrically the curve of the subsidiary arches and the individual units are themselves curved. This is one of the best examples of the type. The drawing is captioned as follows: 'Church at Caesariani'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Bema window and closure slab. The drawing depicts the bema window of the church and a marble closure slab. The window is double of the so-called 'grouped-type': the whole window is embraced in a single arch within which the individual lights are arched separately. The tympanum filling is in curvilinear form: the tile-courses follow concentrically the curve of the subsidiary arches and the individual units are themselves curved. This is one of the best examples of the type. The slab is decorated with foliate and geometrical patterns. Further annotation in pencil survives.
The Tree of Jesse. The Tree of Jesse decorates the west wall of the Kaisariani narthex. The wall-paintings in this part of the church are less sophisticated than those of the naos with naïve/pictoresque details in the dense composistions. They date, according to a surviving inscription, to the 17th century. Made for John, 3rd Marquess of Bute by Gillieron and presented to the Fund by his son (see note in: BRF Corporate Records-List of BRF materials by RWS 1948).
Ground plan. The drawing is entitled: 'Omorfh Ekklesia near Athens - 1/4 Inch Scale - Plan Drawing 1'. Further annotation in pencil surives.
Longitudinal section. The drawing is entitled: 'Omorphi Ekklesia nr Athens - Longitudinal Section - Drwg 2'.
Transverse section. The drawing is entitled: 'Omorfh Ekklesia Section Thro Narthex Looking E Drwg 3'.
Noth elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is entitled: 'Omorfh Ekklesia nr Athens - North Elevation - Drawing 4'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
North elevation. The drawing, according to a surviving note, is a copy of R.S. Weir's rough pencil sketch.
East elevation. The drawing according to a surviving inscription, is a copy of R.S. Weir's inked drawing. Further annotation in ink and pencil surives.
East elevation. The drawing is entitled: 'Church at Omorphi - Attica', 'East End'.
East elevation (left) - North elevation (right). This is a preliminary drawing.
North elevation. This is a preliminary drawing.
Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Section of the floor pavement in front of the holy bema (mosaic-marble opus sectile). Further annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan. The drawing is signed in ink on the lower left, "Pieter Rodeck's work, L. Alma-Tadema" and annotated in pencil in the lower left-hand corner, "The Dormition of the Virgin, Skripou. Traced from the original drawing made on the spot, Sept. 1897." Further annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. Futher annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. Futher annotation in pencil survives.
Longitudinal section. This is a preliminary drawing. It is signed in ink in the lower right-hand corner in ink "Pieter Rodeck's work. L. Alma-Tadema" (possibly the Dutch Painter who was Rodeck's uncle) . Annotation in pencil in the upper left-hand corner, "The Dormition of the Virgin Skripou, Greece. Measured and drawn on the spot Sept. 1897" (possible written by Rodeck). Further annotation in pencil survives.
Longitudinal section. This is a preliminary drawing. Futher annotation in pencil survives.
West elevation. This is a preliminary drawing in pencil. It is signed in ink (left centre), "Pieter Rodeck's work, L. Alma- Tadema" and annotated in pencil, "The Dormition of the Virgin Skripou, measured and drawn on the spot, Sept. 1897". Further annotation in pencil survives.
South elevation. This is a preliminary drawing in pencil. It is signed in ink, "Pieter Rodeck's work" in upper right hand (probably also by L. Alma- Tadema) and dated in pencil in the upper left-hand corner, "The Dormition of the Virgin, Skripou, Greece. Measured and drawn on the spot Sept. 1897." Further annotation in pencil survives.
East elevation. This is a preliminary drawing in pencil. It is signed in ink in the upper right corner, "Pieter Rodeck's work - L. Alma-Tadema" and annotated in pencil in the upper left-hand, "The Dormition of the Virgin, Skripou, Greece. Measured and drawn on the spot Sept. 1897." . Further annotation in pencil survives.
West elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It has been left unfinished.
Plan of the crypt (left) - Ground plan of the naos (right). The drawing is entitled in ink:'Monastery of St Nicolas near Skripou Boeotia'. It is labelled in ink: 'Plan of Crypt' and 'Plan'.
Plan of the naos. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink: 'Monastery Church of St Nicholas Scripou'. Further annotation in ink and pencil survives.
Plan of the crypt. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Cross section (left) - Longitudinal section (right). The drawing is entitled in ink: 'Monastery of St Nicolas near Skripou Boeotia'. It is labelled in ink:'Section on Line A-A' and 'Section on Line B-B'.
Cross section. This is a preliminary drawing. It has been cancelled (crossed out).
Longitudinal section. This is a preliminary drawing. It has been cancelled (crossed out).Unfinished sketches in ink and pencil survive on the reverse.
Cross section. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink:'Monastery Church of St Nicholas Scripou'. Further annotation in ink and pencil survives. Unfinished sketches in ink and pencil survive on the reverse.
Longitudinal section. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink:'Monastery of St Nicholas Scripou'. Further annotation in ink and pencil survives.
Isometric section. The drawing is entitled in ink:'Monastery of St Nicolas near Skripou Boeotia'. It is labelled in ink:'An Isometrical View looking South-West'.
West elevation. The drawing is labelled in ink:'West Elevation'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
West elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
East elevation (left) - North elevation (right). The drawing is entitled in ink:'Monastery of St Nicolas near Skripou Boeotia'. It is labelled in ink:'East Elevation' and 'North Elevation'.
North elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink:'Monastery Church of St Nicholas Scripou', 'North Elevation'. Further annotation in pencil survives. Unfinished sketches in ink and pencil survive on the reverse.
East elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink:'Monastery Church of St Nicholas Scripou', 'East Elevation'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
East elevation. This is a prelimianry drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.