2.2 - Artwork of architecture Flashcards
By Domenico da Cortona.
Begun in 1519 for the king Francis I. Largest of all the Renaissance chateaux. The plan of chambord is that of a medieval castle with a central keep, four corner towers, a surrounding wall and originally a moat. Yet it was not built for defense but for display.
It has two extraordinary features, one on the outside and one on the inside. Outside, on the flat roof is a tiny town with winding streets, squares and turrets. Inside, the main attraction is the central double-spiral staircase. Built within a circle 30 feet in diameter and 8 feet to the roof, the two spiral staircases intertwine, but do not meet.
Here lived Henry VIII, on the southwest outskirts of London. In England, medieval fortified castled with massive stone walls and small windows gradually gave way to more luxurious dwellings with large windows. Hampton court palace is contructed of brick, which is not as strong as stone. The dry moat, towers, battlements and crenelations are only minimally militaristic, and looked more domestic rather than defensive.
Although Henry VIII lived during the Renaissance, he perpetuated the late medieval gothic style at hampton court palace.
