Robert Adam

Introduction
Early life
European influences
The Adam style
Furniture design
Later works

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Robert Adam, oil painting by an unknown artist; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

James Paine and Robert Adam: Kedleston Hall

Entrance hall of Syon House (1762–69), in the London borough of Hounslow, designed by Robert Adam in the Neoclassical Georgian style

At a Glance

Robert Adam summary

Quizzes

Close-up of a palette held by a man. Mixing paint, painting, color mixing.

Artists, Painters, & Architects

Hagia Sophia. Istanbul, Turkey. Constantinople. Church of the Holy Wisdom. Church of the Divine Wisdom. Mosque.

Architecture: The Built World

Related Questions

How did Charles-Louis Clérisseau influence Robert Adam’s architectural ideas?
How did Culzean Castle combine a rugged coastal setting with a refined design?
How did John Stuart, 3rd earl of Bute, help Robert Adam’s career?
How did Robert Adam and James Adam develop the Adam style?
How did Robert Adam and his brothers change interior decoration in Scotland?
How did Robert Adam begin working in his father’s architectural office?
How did Robert Adam combine classical architectural elements in new ways?
How did Robert Adam create unified interior designs for country houses?
How did Robert Adam explain the idea of movement in architecture?
How did Robert Adam use a triumphal arch design at Kedleston Hall?
How did Robert Adam’s furniture fit into the overall design of a room?
How did Robert Adam’s later work at Culzean Castle differ from his Neoclassical interiors?
How did William Adam influence Robert Adam’s early architectural career?
How did the Register House in Edinburgh fulfill an earlier idea from Syon House?
How long did Robert Adam study Diocletian’s palace at Spalato?
How was the entrance hall at Syon House based on a Roman basilica?
What architectural styles and sources influenced the Adam style?
What book resulted from Robert Adam’s drawings of Diocletian’s palace?
What changes did Robert Adam propose for the center court of Syon House?
What classical ornaments appeared in Robert Adam’s furniture designs?
What did Robert and James Adam build in Portland Place in London?
What did Robert and James Adam publish in The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam?
What features made the Adam style different from earlier Palladian architecture?
What made the Syon House entrance hall an important Neoclassical interior?
What types of furniture did Robert Adam design?
What was Robert Adam’s first important architectural work in London?
What was notable about Robert Adam’s design for the University of Edinburgh?
What was notable about the oval staircase at Culzean Castle?
What was the Adelphi development on the River Thames?
What work did Robert Adam and his brother John do at Fort George near Inverness?
When and where was Robert Adam born?
When did Robert Adam become architect of the King’s Works?
Where are most of Robert Adam’s surviving architectural drawings kept?
Where did Robert Adam attend school in Edinburgh?
Where did Robert Adam die?
Where was Robert Adam buried?
Which ancient Roman building inspired the double portico at Osterley Park?
Which country did Robert Adam visit in 1754 to study architecture?
Which decorative details did Robert Adam design as part of an interior scheme?
Which houses received some of Robert Adam’s early interior designs?
Which major London houses did the Adam brothers design during the 1770s?
Who commissioned Robert Adam’s design for Culzean Castle?
Who was Robert Adam’s father William Adam?
Who was Robert Adam’s main architectural rival as architect of the King’s Works?
Why did Giambattista Piranesi dedicate an ancient Rome plan to Robert Adam?
Why did Robert Adam decide to study ancient buildings in Rome?
Why did Robert Adam travel to Spalato in Dalmatia in 1757?
Why did Robert Adam’s popularity decline after 1780?
Why did the Adelphi development become a financial disaster for Robert and James Adam?
Why was Palladianism becoming less popular in England when Robert Adam returned in 1758?
Why was the Adam style especially important in interior design?
Why was the south front of Kedleston Hall unusual in domestic architecture?
Why is Ludwig Mies van der Rohe so famous?
What is Ludwig Mies van der Rohe famous for?
What was Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s family like?
How did Ludwig Mies van der Rohe become famous?
Why is Le Corbusier important?
What is Le Corbusier famous for?
How was Le Corbusier educated?
What did Frank Gehry do to his house?

Visual Arts Architecture

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External Websites

Victoria and Albert Museum - Robert Adam: Neoclassical architect and designer
Undiscovered Scotland - Biography of Robert Adam
National Library of Scotland - Robert Adam
The History of Parliament - Biography of Robert Adam
Dictionary of Scottish Architects - Biography of Robert Adam

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Robert Adam - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Robert Adam

Scottish architect

Written by

Sandra Millikin

Freelance architectural historian. Lecturer in the History of Art, Open University, Walton, England. 1971–73.

Sandra Millikin

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

Robert Adam (born July 3, 1728, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scot.—died March 3, 1792, London, Eng.) was a Scottish architect and designer who, with his brother James (1730–94), transformed Palladian Neoclassicism in England into the airy, light, elegant style that bears their name. His major architectural works include public buildings (especially in London), and his designs were used for the interiors of such country mansions as Syon House (1762–69) in Middlesex (now in Hounslow, London). Robert was...

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