English Renaissance Flashcards
English Renaissance
Mid 16th-17th Century
Tudor
1485-1603
Until Elizabeth I Renaissance was
NOT influential
Elizabeth I
(1558-1603)
1580’s Elizabeth I decided to make England…
the most powerful state in Europe
How did England become powerful
Focused on navy, built ships
English country houses
emerged as a new type Accepting part of Italian Renaissance in composition
English country houses interior vs exterior
Symmetrical exterior & asymmetrical interior
Renaissance exterior & medieval interior
English country houses features
Use of hall with strong wood beams and screens
Large windows offer a space that is almost cathedral like
Use of little domes on top of building (Elizabethans liked to use the roof as a space)
Longleat House
Wittshire 1568-1580
The Great Hall elements
Still looks medieval, but has renaissance elements
what made great hall both medieval and renaissance
Wood and white wall construction with more delicate elements
Detailed light carvings
Classical columns and carved figures of humans
Furniture layout is very disciplined, but has lighter elements
Hardwick Hall
Derbyshire 1590-1597
Hardwick Hall architect
Robert Smytson
Hardwick Hall hierarchy
More important levels are taller
Hardwick Hall roof and top floor
are social spaces - different from Italy
Hardwick Hall elements
Little domes or orioles turned into towers
Towers break up the façade
Vertical and gothic roof line
how are stairs different in england
Rains more in England so most interior stairs become grander than exterior
most important room in Hardwick hall
High great chamber
Hardwick hall rooms
Rooms are defined by colors (blue room, green room, etc.)
Tapestry walls create illusionistic scenes
Hardwick Hall interior vs exterior
Disconnect between what the exterior looks like compared to what is actually inside
Libraries at this time
Masculine space and design / darker wood spaces with little to no textiles
Long gallery
interior space to gather and walk through when raining
long gallery purpose
replaces garden / Chance to frame and display artwork to show wealth
What does Britain love
Plaster work
English Renaissance Furniture
Large, energetic but improper
lighter base heavier top
Turning legs, carvings on legs
Notion of bodily comfort
Upholstery, horse hair, grass, etc. filling
Court Cabinet
A new piece of furniture: a movable - mobile studiolo
Multiple functions - stationary and storage for most precious objects
Court Cabinet features
Theme of these pieces were architectural
Carvings mostly decorative, but some are structural
four post bed frame
Past cultures have kept the columns shapes from ancient times
England changed them for their uses
Excessive use of material
Ex. columns are thicker than they need to be
Turkey-Work Chairs textiles
Front of chair more decorative because they are lining the wall and the back is covered
Cup and cover legs
Too much material used / very thick and heavy
End of Tudor
1603 Elizabeth I dies
James I became the King
Jacobean Period (James I, 1603-1625 & Charles I 1625-1648)
Strapwork
Series of geometric patterns on the walls.
Pargework
Elaborate plasterwork which created a continuous low relief on the ceiling
Court cupboards
buffet
Turkey-work
Carpets imported from Turkey & Persia were used on top of tables and as upholstery
Balustrade
Cup & cover bulbous leg continues to be popular
Guilloche
decorative technique in which a very precise, intricate and repetitive pattern is mechanically engraved into an underlying material`
Hatfield House
1608
Queen’s House
1616-1635
Queen’s House architect
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Jonas went to Italy and visited Palladio’s buildings
Originally a stage designer, Jonas also designed furniture
Queen’s House interior vs exterior
Same symmetry in interior and exterior
Queen’s House propotion
Beautifully proportioned
Windows are placed off-centered: Everything isn’t under control
Queen’s House functions
Palladio villa outside & functions like a palazzo with open central space
Queen’s House Staircase
Jones expanded the spiral staircase of medieval manor houses and put a skylight at the top
Queen’s House features
Busts placed inside as decor
Tuscan columns
Plaster work
Flattened columns along wall
Use of color for each room
Banqueting House
1619-1622
Banqueting House dating help
Transitioning into Baroque / look at bigger picture to date
Banqueting House architect
Inigo Jones
Banqueting House features
Galleried, symmetrical interior
Ionic half columns & Corinthian pilasters
Italian style ceiling painted by Rubens
Wilton House
1640’s-1670’s
Wilton House architects
Inigo Jonas and Isaac de Caus
Wilton House looks
Baroque rather than Renaissance
The woodwork on the walls are renaissance yet they are more elaborate
Palladian proportions
Jacobean Furniture
Massive and straight-lined yet lighter than Elizabethan
More elegant ornamental carving
Jacobean Furniture material
Mostly oak, some walnut
Jacobean Furniture details
Lathe turnings, spool forms, & spiral twists used for legs and stretchers
Jacobean Furniture textiles
Increase in use of textiles: Silks, velvet, embroidered Turkey-work, and tapestries
Gate-leg table
continued to be a popular piece even after James I’s reign
Farthingale Chair
upholsterer’s chair was introduced in the late 16th century to accommodate exceptionally wide skirts
Wainscot / Yorkshire Chair
fine chair made of oak
Turned bulbous shape of front legs
Back Is similarly decorated as the wainscoting
Cromwell / Cromwellian Chair
1640
modified version of the Farthingale chair
Leather back and seat, studded with brass-
headed nails
Cromwell / Cromwellian Chair simplicity
puritan ideals
