ITALIAN RENAISSANCE (13TH – 16TH C)
‘Primavera’
Historical Background
• Humanism
• Secularism
• Invention of the printing press
• Five competitions that thrust Florence to the forefront of
the ‘cultured world’
• The Church – being stabilized and unified under one
Pope provided artists with a seemingly endless supply
of subject material
• Florence
• Humanism – gave new subjects to artists in the form
of nudes, portraits of actual people and landscapes
• The Medici – known as the pre-eminent family of
Florence, who amassed great wealth in banking, spent
great money on architects and artists
• Florence Baptistery door competition
Italian Styles
1. Early Renaissance
A style of Italian art and architecture developed during the 15th C,
characterized by the development of linear perspective, chiaroscuro,
and in building, by the free and inventive use of classical details
Developments in Art
a. Scientific perspective
b. Chiaroscuro – use of light and dark to achieve a heightened
illusion of depth
c. Foreshortening – method of rendering a specific object or
figure in a picture in depth. The artist records, in varying
degrees, the distortion that is seen by the eye when an
object or figure is viewed at a distance or at an unusual
angle.
Famous Artists
a. Giotto (Giotto di Bonrdone)
He was often considered as the founder of
Renaissance painting by breaking away from the Byzantine
tradition of painting to naturalism, humanism and
composition. Discovered by Cimabue and known as the
first naturalistic painter of Italy
Works: ‘The Death of St. Francis’
‘The Adoration of the Magi’
‘The Matrimony of Joachim and Anna’
b. Masaccio (Tomaso Guidi)
A disciple of Giotto. He was the first great
painter of the Italian Renaissance. His frescoes are the
earliest monuments of Humanism, and introduced a
plasticity previously unseen in figure painting.
Works: ‘Expulsion from the Garden of
Eden’
‘Tribute Money’
c. Fra Angelico (Guido di Pietro da Mugello)
A Dominican monk. All of his art was religious.
Use of luminous, gem-like colors, diffused light slender
forms.
Works: ‘The Annunciation’
d. Fra (Lippo) Lippi
A complete antithesis of Fra Angelico. More
concerned with physical beauty than the insight or spiritual
depth.
Works: ‘Madonna with Babe and Angels’
e. Alessandro Boticelli
Instrumental with the opening to us the stories
and characters of classical mythology. He was classed with
the sentimental, devotional group and also learned from
scientists. His works drew from mythological inspirations.
Works: ‘The Birth of Venus’
f. Jan van Eyck
Most prominent painter of the early Renaissance
style. With brother Hubert, he perfected the process of
painting with oil and varnish.
Works: ‘Worship of the Lamb’
‘The Marriage’
g. Donatello
Sculptor known for sacred themes
Works: ‘St. Mark’
‘Gattamelata’
‘David’ (Bronze)
Statues of Old Testament prophets for
the walls of the Florence Cathedral
h. Lorenzo Ghiberti
Sculptor North doors of the Baptistery of San
Giovanni, Florence. East doors of the Baptistery.
Early Renaissance Architecture
The group of architectural styles that originated in Italy in the 15th
and 16th C, characterized by an emphasis in symmetry, exact
mathematical relationships between parts and an overall effect of
simplicity and prose.
General characteristics:
• Ashlar masonry in rusticated finish in horizontal courses
• Horizontal cornices and balustrades
• Doors and windows finished with molded architrave of the
classic type or pediment in triangular or segmental type
• Vaulted ceilings without ribs; dome raised in a drum in
fresco
• Classic orders appear decoratively in facades, structural in
arcades
• Divided in three horizontal bands of classic molding under
the windows
Early Renaissance Architectural Landmarks
a. The Duomo or Dome of the Cathedral of Florence by
Filippo Brunelleschi
Brunelleschi’s solutions were ingenious and
unprecedented: the distinctive octagonal design of the
double-walled dome, resting on a drum and not on the roof
itself, allowed for the entire dome to be built without the
need for scaffolding from the ground
b. Ospedale Degli Innocenti (Foundling Hospital) by
Brunelleschi
Built by Giovanni Medici for the poor. Basic
element of the design is a series of round arches supported
by slender columns and framed by pilasters that carried flat
horizontal entablature. It also featured tabernacle windows,
rectangular windows surmounted by a pediment.
c. Palazzo Medici-Ricardi by Michelezzo and Brunelleschi
Under the instructions of Cosimo de Medici and
bought by the Ricardi family at the end of the 17th C. The
building is divided into storeys of decreasing heights by
long unbroken bands called sting cornices. In the upper
storey, dressed stone are used making the building appear
lighter as the eye moves. Open colonnaded court show
influences of Brunelleschi’s Foundling Hospital. In the
16th C, Michelozzo added pediment windows in the arch of
the ground floor.
d. Palazzo Rucellai
Leon Batista Alberti applied the classical orders
of columns to the façade on the three levels, 1446-51
e. Palazzo Pitti
Built by Lucca Pitti is the largest palace in Italy
aside from the Vatican
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2. High Renaissance (late 15th – early 16th C)
It was called so because it represented a culmination and a
convergence of talent. A style of Italian Renaissance art and
architecture characterized by an emphasis on draftsmanship, the
illusion of sculptural volume in painting, and in building, by the
limitive use of whole orders and compositional rules after the
precepts of Vitruvius and the precedents of existing ruins. Its capital
was scattered in Milan, Florence and Rome.
Historical Background
• Reigns of Francis I, Henry VIII, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V
• Voyages of Columbus, Vasco de Gama, etc.
• Great Protestant Reformation
Three Big Names of High Renaissance Art
a. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Best known as a painter, but everything else as
well. Attempted to unite science with art. Used sfumato, a
modeling technique which consisted of blurring sharp
outline with subtle, tonal gradations, imparting a
mysterious enigmatic quality, hinting at the subject’s
spiritual dimension.
Works: ‘Monalisa’
‘The Last Supper’
‘Madonna of the Rocks’
b. Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564)
Trained in Florence and is best known as a
painter and sculptor, but worked in architecture and rote
poetry as well. Used the knowledge to glorify God. He
created a style which laid the foundation for Baroque-
Mannerism.
Works: Sistine Chapel ceiling
‘The Holy Family’ (Doni Tondo)
The statue of David
‘Pieta’
‘The Desposition’
‘The Last Judgment’
c. Raphael (Rafaello Sanzio, 1483-1520)
Trained in Umbria but studied in Florence. Best
known as a painter but worked in architecture as well.
Painted beautiful, gentle, calm women in a courteous
manner.
Works: ‘The School of Athens’
‘The Marriage of the Virgins
Other Artists
a. Giorgione
Most famous of the Venetian renaissance
painters.
Works: ‘Tempest
‘Sleeping Venus’
b. Titian
The leader of the 16th-century Venetian school of
the Italian Renaissance
Works: ‘Assumption of the Virgin’ (Assunta)
‘The Rape of Europa’
c. Albrecht Durer (Germany)
Known as Leonardo of the North, he produced
more than a thousand woodcuts and engravings.
a. Works: ‘Apocalypse’
‘St. Jerome in His Study’
‘4 Apostles’
d. Pieter Bruegel The Elder
Greatest Flemish painter of the 16th C.
Flemish/Dutch Renaissance painter and printmaker known
for his landscapes and peasant scenes (Genre Painting).
Works: ‘Peasant Wedding’
‘Hunters in the Snow’
‘The Blind Leading the Blind’
Characteristics of High Renaissance Architecture
• Impressive staircase in front of high, rusticate base
• Stringcourse separating the base from the first storey
• Tall pilasters with Corinthian capitals
• Alternating arched and triangular pediments over windows
• Ornamental cartouches over doorways and statuary
• The circle was a dominant motif
High Renaissance Architectural Landmarks
a. Tempietto by Donato Bramante
Meaning ‘small temple’, it marked the spot of St.
Peter’s crucifixion. Just 15 ft. in diameter, it harmonized a
base, a drum, a dome and a whole entablature
b. Capitoline Hill by Michelangelo
Composed of the Palace of the Senate, The
Conservatory and the Capitoline Museum where the statue
of Marcus Aurelius stood. The Capitoline Hill is an
abstraction of the human figure.
Interior Treatment
1. Interiors consisted of smaller rooms than those of the
Gothic castles, but larger in scale as compared to today’s
rooms. If the walls were neutral, accessories were brilliant
colors of blues, purples, yellows and greens.
2. Coffered and beamed ceilings, and flat plaster ceilings were
also used
3. Pilasters, niche (recessed wall space)
4. Large paintings were incorporated to the architectural
design. Illusionistic paintings were typical
5. Majolica tiles were used for walls
6. Windows were either square-headed or topped with a
pediment
7. Black and white, colored or terrazzo floors were used, with
occasional oriental rugs
8. Fireplaces were ornamented with mantles; bolection
moldings were typical
9. Cartouche
10. Furniture was used sparingly
Interiors during the High Renaissance
1. Rooms contained famous works of art
2. Accumulation of beautiful possessions
3. Element of parade (enfilade)
4. More specific rooms
• Library
• Studiolo – a room intended for meditation and
study
• Galleria – a room to display acquired artworks
5. Monumental fireplaces were later unhooded
Furniture Elements
1. Monumental in character
2. Upholstered seats
3. Ornamented nail heads used with leather upholstery
4. Gesso-painted or gilded
5. Furniture decoration included
• Certosina – small ivory inlay pattern set in wood
work
• Intarsia marquetry
• Incised carving
• Chip carving
• Pastiglia – application of gesso to achieve relief
Furniture Types
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 a. Cassone (marriage chest) – often made in pairs; to contain Work: ‘The Florentine Pieta’
the bride’s trousseau ‘The Last Judgement’
b. Cassapanca – a large cassone with back and arms added to
form a settee or sofa Architecture
c. Credenza (sideboard) – sideboards often surmounted by Andrea Palladio – Italian Architect, regarded as the greatest architect
drawers intended for the storage of linen, dishes and of 16th-century northern Italy. His designs for palaces (palazzi) and
silverware villas, notably Villa Rotonda (1550 – 51) near Vicenza, and his
d. Sedia – armchair for men treatise I Quattro libri dell’ architettura (1570; The Four Books
e. Sgabello – a light wooden chair for women; had two Architecture) made him one of the most influential figures in Western
trestles or splat support with stiff back architecture.
f. Savonarola – an x-shaped chair named after a monk Villa Capra – characterized by the exaggeration of classic features in
g. Dante/dantesaue – usually a tooled leather; curule in front square building with pillared portico on each face leading to a central
extend as arm supports while the curule at the back circular hall with dome.
extended as uprights of the back
h. Panchetto – similar to the sgabello but had three splayed BAROQUE STYLE
legs instead of two trestle supports Characterized by asymmetrical compositions, powerful
i. Letto – bed with massive structure placed on a base, a effects of movement, and strong lighting in a combination with
canopy and paneled footboard dramatic interpretations of the object matter.

Accessories Historical Background

1. Majolica ware – large enameled earthenware plates 1. France was the largest nation in Europe and the strongest
2. Bronze statuette done in cire perude process and wealthiest
3. Small wall mirrors 2. Criticisms on the Catholic Church
4. Cameo and intaglio medallions 3. Council of Trent; Edict of Nantes; Counter Reformation
5. Silk was often used for upholstery and draperies. Velvets 4. Under Louis XIV, the Sun King, the centralization of
and damasks were common. power and wealth under the monarch was completed. The
king governed as a supreme and autocratic leader.
MANNERISM (17th C) 5. The Royal Academy in France – founded by royal minister
Mannerism is a term applied to exaggerated styles, striking Jean-Baptiste Colbert to manipulate imagery for political
visual effects characterized by elongated or over muscular figures set advantage
in extravagantly contorted panes. It was a revolt against the 6. Competition among rival wealthy families
fundamental design principles of classism of clarity, visibility and 7. Support of artisans
stability.
Famous Artists
Historical Background a. Michelangelo Caravaggio
1. Achievements of Galileo, Harvey and Newton Dramatic, realistic and chiaroscuro technique.
2. Counter-Reformation Chose ordinary people as the figures in his religious works
3. Massacre on St. Bartholomew’s Day Tenebrism – use of sharply contrasting light and dark.
4. War of the Spanish Armada Tenebrism from ‘tenebroso’ (obscure) to describe the use
5. Renewed monasticism Inquisition of a very dark, overall tonality of the painting
6. Council of Trent Works: ‘The Conversion of St.Paul’
‘The Entombment of Christ’
Famous Artists b. Peter Paul Rubens
a. Jacobo Pantorno The greatest Flemish painter of the Baroque, he
Work: ‘The Descent from the Cross’ assimilated Italian ideas with Flemish Tradition. He was
b. Parmigianino also the most prolific painter and produced about 2000
Work: ‘Madonna of the Long Neck’ paintings.
c. Tintoretto Works: ‘The Descent from the Cross’
For his phenomenal energy in painting he was ‘Samson and Delilah’
termed II Furioso, and his dramatic use of perspectival c. Anthony Van Dyck
space and special lighting effects make him a precursor of Specialized in aristocratic portraiture that
baroque art. Venice’s Master of Mannerism featured with exquisite technique, details of silken fabrics,
Works: ‘The Conversion of St. Paul’ fine laces, and trimmings.
‘The Last Supper’ Work: ‘Earl of Warwick’
d. Veronese d. Rembrandt van Rijn
Veronese, Titian, and Tintorreto comprise the The greatest genius of the Dutch school who
trumvirrate of pre-eminent Venetian painters of the late painted portraits and scenes of genre and religious subjects.
Renaissance (1500s). Veronese was known as supreme His major contribution was development of an artificial and
colorist, and for his illusionistic decorations in both fresco unique technique of an artificial and unique technique of
and oil. His most famous works are elaborate narrative handling light and shadow called Rembrandt lighting.
cycles, executed in a dramatic and colorful Mannerist style, Graded transitions from light to dark with shadows in warm
full of majestic architectural settings and glittering colors.
pageantry. Painter of opulent, eye-filling, religious works Works: ‘Night Watch’
that anticipated the Baroque age. ‘Belshazzar’s Feast’
Work: ‘The Marriage Feast of Cana’ e. Jan Vermeer
e. Agnolo Bronzino excelled in cool, mannerist portraits The “little Dutch master” next to Rembrandt. His
Work: Portrait of a Young Man usual subjects focus on women at some household chore.
f. Michelangelo Works: ‘Maidservant Pouring Milk’
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 f. Gianlorenzo Bernini
Sculptor; Influenced by Michelangelo and by the
intensity and animation of mannerist and baroque paintings.
Work: ‘The Ecstasy of St. Teresa’
‘Fountain of Trevi’
Baroque Architecture
Originated in Italy during the early 17th C. Characterized
by free and sculptural use of the classical orders and ornaments,
dynamic opposition and interpretation of spaces, and the dramatic
combined effects of architecture, sculpture, painting and the
decorative arts. From the Portuguese word baroco meaning odd
shape; imperfect pearl.
General Characteristics of Baroque Architecture
1. Preference to curves, double curves and diagonal lines.
2. Pediments in scrolled form
3. Flying figures in dangerous looking positions.
4. Complexity
5. Deliberate lack of clarity – difficult to distinguish
representations of the composition.
6. Open
7. Unity – figures & forms are solidified into masses & can’t
be separatedfrom the whole
8. Bold effects of gradation & climax
9. Uses light to achieve maximum emotional impact.
Elements of Baroque Architecture
1. Solomonic columns – columns with twisted shaft
2. Pediments in scroll form
3. Flying figures in dangerous looking positions
4. Carved ornaments emphasized by gilding
Architectural Landmarks of Italian Baroque
a. St. Peter’s Basilica by Bernini, façade by Carlo Madera,
baldochino and piazza by Bernini (surrounded by 284
columns in Tuscan style)
• The papal basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City
• The exterior is composed of Corinthian pilasters
carried around the entire building giving unity to the
entire design
• The dome of St. Peter by Michelangelo broke the
canons of classical proportion by raising the dome
over the square room much above its correct height
and dividing the wall area into three horizontal zones.
Composed of lantern, dome balustrades and statues
piled above the gigantic pilasters
b. Baldochino over the tomb of St. Peter by Bernini
c. The Fountain of Trevi (1760) by Bernini is the largest
Baroque fountain in Rome
d. The S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane by Francisco Borromini
established Borromini’s reputation for daring architectural
innovations. It featured an alternation of concave and
convex elements in the façade, and a drum that supported
an oval dome.
e. S. Maria della Salute – a Roman Catholic Church designed
by Baldassare Longhena; a vast, octagonal building with
two domes and a pair of picturesque bell towers at the back
f. Church of Il Gesu by Giacomo Vignola – the mother
church of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious
order also known as the Jesuits; its façade is “the first truly
baroque façade”, introducing the baroque style into
architecture
Italian Baroque Interior Treatment
1. Grand proportions of room
2. Great emphasis on fresco painting (found on walls and
ceilings)
3. Carved woodwork in paint or gold
4. Quadratura – painted illusionist architecture
5. Floors – disparate colors and patterns were used
6. Walls – stucco, paint, textiles and occasional marble
7. Windows and doors – classical elements surround windows
and doors
8. Fireplace – hooded fireplace was typical but less prominent
than the Renaissance
9. Ceilings – ranged from complex to simple
10. Stairways – gradual ascent; boldly conceived balustrade
Furniture Elements
1. Spanish influence was evident in the black and white
cabinets produced in Naples for the Spanish aristocracy
2. Pietra dura – inlaid stone panels often mounted on ebony
cabinets-on-stands
ITALIAN ROCOCO
The most able Italian designers who went to France at the
invitation of King Louis XIV carried the Rococo idea to Italy.
Compared to French Rococo, Italian Rococo was sometimes coarse
and tended towards artistic vulgarity.
Furniture Elements
1. Proportions were usually awkward compared to French
originals
2. Much gilding was used
3. Lacquer was employed
4. Chinoiserie was used
Furniture Types
1. Venetian mirror – 3-paneled with etches or frosted glass
2. Furniture in imitation of French styles
FRENCH STYLES
• 1610: Marie de Medici rules as Regent for her son Louis
XIII. Cardinal de Richelieu sets about to increase the power
of the Crown at the expense of the French nobility.
• 1648: the insurrection of both nobility and the populace
which attempted to reduce the king’s powers ended in
failure and resulted in the establishment of absolutism
under Louis XIV
• 1661 – 1715: Louis embarks on a series of building projects
to glorify his personal power notably Versailles.
Establishment of the Royal Academies of the Arts and
Sciences. The Classic Baroque period.
• 1715 – 1774: Louis XV and the retreat from Versailles. The
Rococo style
FRENCH RENAISSANCE
Architecture endured during the reign of Francis I, Francis
II, Charles IV, Henry III and Louis XIII. Edict of Nantes issued in
1958.
General Characteristics of the French Renaissance Architecture
1. The transitional period featured a Gothic and Renaissance
ensemble: Renaissance details were grafted into Gothic
features
2. Classical horizontality in the French manner and tendency
to Gothic verticality
3. High (mansard) roofs with dormer windows and lofty
chimney
4. A combination of classic and medieval moldings was used
Architectural Landmarks
1. Chateau de Chambord
A palace started by Francis I, its architecture is a
carefully balanced blend of traditional elements of
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 Medieval French architecture and other elements borrowed
from the Italian Renaissance.
2. Palais de Fontainbleau (1526)
Used by the kings of France from the 12th
century, the medieval royal hunting lodge of Fontainebleau.
Built by Francis I, it is known for its horseshoe-shaped
entrance staircase.
Interior Treatment
1. Emphasis on symmetry, rectangular plans and uniform
spacing
2. Typical spaces include a hall, a gallery and apartments
3. Walls: paneling that reach from floor to ceiling; intarsia in
decorations; cartouche
4. Windows and doors: square-headed windows were usual;
doors set in deep reveals
5. Fireplace strong focal points of a room, highly ornamented
with sculptural reliefs. The mantel was the most decorative
feature in the room.
6. Ceilings: flat ceilings with exposed beams and girders
7. Stairways: spiral, straight and dogleg flights
Furniture Elements
1. Chairs had throne-like backs, straight arms
2. Chairs had turned, spiral or baluster legs with bun or
Flemish scroll feet
3. Motifs: olive, laurel or acanthus leaves; foliated scrolls,
rosettes, cartouche, medallions, shells, chimera, griffins,
caryatids, grotesque, gadrooning.
4. Furniture joints were concealed
Furniture Types
1. Stool/Tabouret
2. Escabelle
3. Caquetoire
From caqueter (to chat); woman’s chair had
trapezoidal form standing on four legs
4. Armoire
Italian form of double cabinet for linen or clothes
5. Commode
Chest of drawers
6. Dressoir or Sideboard
Storage piece for display holding food or plate;
literally “dressing the food”
7. Credence
FRENCH BAROQUE
French Baroque architecture became the official
architectural style in France in the 17th to 18th C with its capital at
Versailles.
Historical Background
1. Louis XIV, Le Roi Soleil, the Sun King ruled with pomp
and magnificence. The French became the standard of taste.
2. Louis XIV epitomized absolute power. His chief minister,
Jean Baptiste Cobert organized the arts in the service of the
monarchy, the first task of which was the rebuilding of the
Louvre.
3. Nicholas Fouquet, Minister of Finance, organized a system
for the development of the decorative arts when he built
Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte
4. France’s Golden Age
5. Andre Charles Boulle – appointed master cabinetmaker
(ebeniste) to Louis XIV; ebeniste-du-roi
Architectural Landmarks
a. Palace at Versailles by Le Brun, Jules Mansart and Le Vau
The most famous royal chateau in France. The
gigantic scale of Versailles exemplifies the architectural
theme of ‘creation by division’ – a series of simple
repetitions rhythmically marked off by the repetition of the
large windows – which expresses the fundamental values of
Baroque art. It was renovated in the Baroque fashion during
the time of Louis XIV
b. Louvre Palace, Paris; East front by Le Vau and Claude
Perrault
The actual seat of power in France until Louis
XIV moved to Versailles in 1682, bringing the government
perforce with him; the Louvre remained the formal seat of
government to the end of the Ancient Regime.
c. Church of Val de Grace
A church built by Queen Anne after the birth of
Louis XIV; projecting portal by Francois Mansart; dome by
Le Mercier
French Baroque Interiors
1. Rooms in enfilade arrangement from public to more private
spaces
2. Salone – a living room or parlor; means a conversational
gathering. Usually this is a select group of intellectuals,
artists and politicians who meet in the private residence of a
socially influential (and often wealth) person.
3. Suites at each end
4. Apartment
• Antechamber
• Chamber
• Cabinet
5. State bedchamber – bed set off by curtains and columns
6. Variety of interior spaces
7. Vertical perspectives resulting from the light and dark
contrasts in the staircase
8. The rooms had massive proportion, and walls, ceilings,
ornamentation were coordinated with the furnishings
9. Furniture was still placed next to the wall because most
activities took place while people were standing
10. Colors were rich and vivid, and some of the combination
was violet and red, silver and gold, or red and green
11. Large plate glass mirrors were used and imported Chinese
wallcover covered the walls
12. Fireplace – ornamented with cartouche, swags, scrolls and
various classical ornaments
13. Ceilings: contours varied – flat, barrel-vaulted, dome-
vaulted, and with a cove from wall to ceiling; painting,
fresco and stucco; encouragement of vistas and the
distinctive variation of ceiling configuration
14. Doors and window trim was architecturally treated with a
heavy molding, crowned with a cornice
15. Floors were wood parquet or black and white marble
16. Crystal or carved wood chandelier in the center room with
additional wall torcheres
17. Accessories: busts, hanging mirrors, oriental pottery,
terracotta urns, statues in bronze and marble, paintings,
portraits and tapestries
Furniture Elements
1. Boulle works from Andre Charles Boulle – the practice of
inlaying brass into wood or tortoise shell
• Premiére partie marquetry – a pattern of brass
and pewter on a tortoiseshell ground
2. Ormolu mounts – mounted gilded bronze
3. Marquetry – inlay of wood on wood
4. Vernis Martin from the Martin brothers who perfected the
process of varnishing reproducing the effect of Chinese
lacquer
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 5. Scagliola – imitation marble; composed of gypsum, marble
chips, coloring material and glue
6. Curved legs and x-stretchers
7. Bombe form
8. Rich carvings and massive size
9. Motifs include sunbursts, double LL in oval, satyr mask,
dolphins and sphinxes, lions head and claws, ram’s head or
horns, rinceau, ancient weapons, etc.
Furniture Types
a. Seggiolone – large imposing chair of gilded wood
b. Fauteuil – upholstered chair with arms
c. Tabouret – upholstered stool
d. Armoire – storage cabinet
e. Commode en tambeau – tambour-shaped commode
f. Lit d’ange (angel’s bed) – a bed with a tester but no posts
(the tester floats like an “angel” over the bed)
g. Cabinet on stands
FRENCH REGENCY
The term regency loosely described the transition period
from the height style of Louis XIV to the feminine style of Louis XV.
When Louis XIV died, Philippe d’Orleans acted as regent for Louis
XV. The craze for chinoiserie was responsible for much of the
character of the Regency and Louis XV styles
Furniture Elements
For chairs, the heavy rectangular back of the Baroque
combined with cabriole legs
FRENCH ROCOCO
A style of classical art that evolved from the Baroque
originating in France in 1720. Distinguished by fanciful carved
spatial forms and elaborate, profuse designs of shellwork and foliage
intended for a delicate overall effect. From the words rocaille and
cocaille meaning rock work and shell work respectively. It flourished
during the reign of Louis XV.
Historical Background
1. Influence of the Catholic Church declined
2. The center of taste shifted from the court to the Paris hotel
(for elegant private house)
3. Shift of patronage from royalty to aristocracy
4. The 18th C was called the Age of Enlightenment: the belief
in the supremacy of human reason and the centrality of the
natural sciences was inherited and advanced by its
philosophers
General Features in Art
1. Gentle and playful style
2. Pastel colors
3. Asymmetric
Famous Artists
a. Antoine Watteau
Leading Rococo painter from Flanders.
Works: ‘A Pilgrimage to the Island of
Cythera’
‘The Dance’
b. Jean-Honore Fragonard
Calls on classical imagery to provide a more
serious underpinning for frivolous erotic themes
Works: ‘Happy Accidents of the Swing’
c. William Hogarth
Took contemporary manners and social
conventions as the subject of his satire
Works: ‘Marriage a la Mode, Scene
II’
d. Thomas Gainsborough
English painter of portraits, landscapes, and fancy
pictures. At the Royal Academy, he further developed the
personal style he had evolved at Bath, working with light
and rapid brush-strokes and delicate and evanescent colors.
e. Clodion
He created light-hearted terracotta sculptures that
epitomized the Rococo style. Late in his life, when
Neoclassical works were more popular, Clodion adjusted
his style and worked on major public monuments in Paris.
Architecture
a. Petit Trianon
A small chateau located on the grounds of the
Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France. It was designed
by Ange-Jacques Gabriel by the order of Louis XV for his
long-term mistress, Madame de Pompadour, and was
constructed between 1762 to 1768.
b. Pineau’s works are characterized by shallow recesses with
rounded corners and ornamentation employing shell motifs,
leafy scrolls, and classical busts in medallions.
Interiors
1. Planned with intimate special-purpose rooms
2. Pastel painted panels with curved moldings replaced the
marble and stucco walls of the previous era
3. Pastoral or mythological scenes, decorative chinoiseries,
and/or Rococo ornamentation in low relief, often gilded,
were placed asymmetrically within the panel
4. Wallpapers were popularized by the middle class, and
flocked papers imported from England
5. Parquet floor was covered with patterned carpets in soft
colors
6. Fireplaces were often ornamented with trumeau or
overmantle, combined paneling, mirror and painted
ornamentation
Guild System for Craftsmen
1. Ebeniste – maker of veneered furniture
2. Menuisier – maker of solid wood furniture
3. Fondeur – maker of metal mounts
4. Ciseleur – maker of bronze chasing
5. Vernisseur – lacquerer
6. Marqueteur – maker of marquetry panel
7. Doreur – gilder
Furniture Elements
1. Cabriole legs that terminated in whorl, shell, or leaf scroll
feet
2. Serpentine and bombe shaping
3. Apron fronts
4. Decorations: cockleshells, twisted, garlands, chinoiserie,
singeries (monkeys at play), ribbons
5. Chinese lacquer was introduced as furniture finish (Vernis
Martin)
6. Espagnolette – bronze figure, usually a female bust, used as
a cresting ornament
Furniture Types
1. Fauteuil – armchair with pierced arm
2. Bergere – lounge chair with full arm
3. Canapé – small, two-seat sofa with an exposed frame
4. Marquise – completely upholstered sofa similar to a wide
seat or a wide bergere; a seat for two people
5. Voyeuse– a straddle chair, in which the sitter faced the
chair back and rested his arms on the upholstered top rail
6. Cabriolet – a small chair with a concave back and cabriole
legs
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 7. Lit de Repos – a daybed; as was the chaise lounge, an
upholstered chair with a long seat for reclining
8. Duchesse-brisée – two upholstered chairs put together and
connected in the middle with an ottoman between them
9. Confidante – three seats to a single unit, with the two end
seats smaller and separated by arms from the center section
10. Console table – a table fixed to a wall with its top
supported by consoles or front legs
11. Table de chevet – bedside table
12. Table Coiffeuse – the dressing table with drawers that
opened to reveal a mirror
13. Desserte – serving table
14. Bouillotte – a small round table of the 18th century, having
around its top a gallery within which a bouchon could beset
for the playing of card games
15. Table a jeu – gaming table
16. Tricoteuse – a sewing table
17. Petite commode – a table with several drawers
18. Bureau a dos d’due (Drop-leaf table) – with its slant top
and absence of drawers
19. Bureau a Cylinder (Rolltop Desk)
20. Bureau du Roi (King’s Desk )– took nine years to finish
21. Commode – a low chest of drawers; the most typical
22. Encoignure – a corner cupboard mainly built into the room
23. Armoire – continued to be used for clothing storage
24. Secretaries – writing cabinets with drawers hidden by the
writing surface
25. Bonheur-du-jour – a small light lady’s writing desk had a
central drawer in front, tiered shelves and cupboards in the
back and sometimes shelves between the legs
26. Bureau Plat (writing desk)
27. Secretaire a Abattant – a tall writing cabinet with drop
down writing surface
28. Duchess Bed – a bed introduced in the 17th C having a
suspended, full-length tester
29. Lit d’ange (Angel Bed) – bed without posts but with a
small canopy
Accessories
1. Glass mirrors
2. Sèvres (porcelain vase, portrait busts, celadon vases from
China and Vincennes) – soft paste figurines and serving
piece
3. Mantle clocks in exotic animal shapes, wall clocks and tall
case clocks
4. Porcelain and marble candelabra and candlesticks were
used, along with gilded wall sconces
5. Principal textiles: brocades, damasks, velours, lamps,
Aubusson tapestry, needlepoint, colored leathers, cotton
and linen prints, and Toile du jouy made by Oberkampf
FRENCH NEOCLASSIC
Neoclassicism
The classicism prevailing in the architecture of Europe,
America and various European colonies during the late 18th and early
19th C. Characterized by intro and widespread use of Greek and
Roman orders and decorative motifs, the subordination of detail to
simple, strongly geometric compositions, and the frequent
shallowness of reliefs in ornamental treatment of facades.
Historical Background
1. Reign of Louis XVI and Austrian wife Marie-Antoinette
2. There was a revived interest in classicism with the
excavation of the ruins of Herculaneum in 1738
3. Court scandals, French Revolution
4. George Jacob founded a dynasty of cabinetmakers during
this time
5. Henri Riesener – a Parisian cabinetmaker and student of
Oeben, designed many pieces for Marie Antoinette
6. Also known as Style Etrusque
French Neoclassic Artists
1. Jacques Louis David
Art director of Napoleon. Recorded the horrors of
the period, mythology and Napoleonic exploits.
Work: ‘The Oath Horatii’
‘The Death of Socrates’
‘Marat Assasinated’
2. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Fondness for rich colors and texture; the
submerged brushstrokes and smooth highly finishes
surfaces are characteristics of Academic painting
Work: ‘The Grand Odalisque’
3. Nicolas Poussin
Greatest of the French classicists, he sought the
ideals of form and subject matter, of landscapes with
figures of light with color and mood.
Work: ‘A Dance to the Music of
Time’
4. Jean Baptiste Chardin
Considered by some to be the greatest of the
18th-century French painters. Breaking away from the style
of the times, Chardin was Anti-Rococo. He favoured
simple still lives and unsentimental domestic interiors. He
is known for his beautifully textured still lives as well as
his sensitive and touching genre paintings. A realist painter
of down-to-earth genre scenes.
Works: ‘The Governess’
‘The Blessing’
‘A House of Cards’
5. Antonio Canova
Displays the sweeping grandeur of and
idealization of the Neoclassic style
General Features in Architecture
1. Classical restraint resurfaced
2. Purely Greek, purely Roman or Greco-Roman hybrid
Styles of Neoclassic Architecture
1. Temple style
2. Palladian style
3. Classical Block
French Neoclassic Architectural Landmarks
a. The Madeleine, Paris
Intended as a Pantheon by order of Napoleon. An
imitation of Greek colonnaded temple with a Roman style
podium built in the Neo-Classical style and was inspired by
the Maison Carree at Nimes
b. Church of Les Invalides by Bruant and Mansart
Remodeled by Le Van; patterned after a Greek
cross plan with the famous dome derived from St. Peter’s; a
home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers; on the
north front of Les Invalides, Hardouin-Mansart’s chapel
dome is large enough to dominate the long façade, yet
harmonizes with Bruant’s door under an arched pediment.
c. Paris Pantheon
The former church of Sainte-Genevieve, now a
shrine to national heroes
Interiors
1. Interior architecture and furnishings are the most important
aspects of the Neoclassical style
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 2. Proportions were light and refined, retaining intimacy and
charm, but with an emphasis on straight lines and
geometric forms
3. Ovals, ellipses and circles which were usually segmental,
were the only curves used
4. Wide and narrow panels of painted wood or plaster covered
with rich fabrics or wallpaper or filled with mirrors or
paintings, were symmetrically arranged
5. Slim panels on the walls, called boiseries, (carved
woodwork picked out in gilt)were popular
6. Doors and windows had rectangular or elliptical panels
over them and were symmetrically arranged, with flatter
more austere moldings, such as the egg and dart
7. The trumeau (overdoor or overpaneling filled with
paintings or mirrors) were frequently seen
8. Color prints and paintings were popular
9. Ceilings were usually flat and decorated with simple
classical motifs, with a large glass chandelier in the center
10. Rooms with high ceilings had an entablature crowning the
paneling; rooms with low ceilings had a simple cornice or a
cove
Furniture Elements
1. Manchettes (padded arm rests) – the arm ended in a volute
or hoop back (the latter had uprights and top rail in one
continuous arch)
2. Legs were rectilinear, game (a pedestal leg which tapers
towards the bottom), fluted, turned, and quiver-shaped, or
spindle-shaped and fluted
3. Numerous innovations appeared, such as dining tables,
combination secretary and chest-of-drawers, cylinder
desks, mechanical furniture, and furniture with metal tops
4. Motifs were derived from Greek sources and from nature;
classical orders, fruit, flower, laurel wreaths, garlands,
ribbons and bow-knots, mythological scenes, shepherds and
shepherdesses, caryatids, trophies, hunting and music
symbols, arabesques, running motifs such as guilloche,
beads, leaf bands
5. Oval, rectangular, square or medallion back
6. Lyre or loop-shaped backs
7. Finishes included ivory or white enamel
8. Verre églomisé is a technique involving painting on the
reverse side of glass then applying gold and silver as
backing
Furniture Types
1. Fauteuil with a square or medallion back that did not
extend to the seat rail; often slightly concave
2. Settee – a formally-styled settle
3. Chaffeuse (low armless chair) – enabled people to get
closer to the fireplace. Also known as nanny’s chair
4. Bergère – had closed sides and a loose-cushion seat, a
square or gondola-shaped back, or was winged. Some
bergères had caned backs and sides
5. Voyeuse
6. Open-back chair used in dining rooms; had a caned or
leather seat with a lyre back
7. Canapé – usually had eight round, tapering legs, and the
back, usually rectangular or curved, often did not extend to
the seat rail
8. Chaise lounge – a one piece version; a version made in two
pieces of equal length, which looked like two small chaise
lounges; a version which was made of two unequal pieces,
combining a bergère and a bench seat; and a version which
has two bergères with a stool between
9. Chiffonier – a five- or six-drawer commode that have a
brass gallery. The cabinet, which was intended to house
collections of precious objects, was an item of furniture
used only by the very wealthy.
10. Cabinet – intended to house collections of precious objects,
was an item of furniture used only by the very wealthy
11. Bureau plat – writing desk
12. Cartonnier – filing cabinet
13. Rolltop or cylinder-top desk
14. Secretaire a la tronchin – provided with a mechanical
device to raise the writing surface
15. Secretaire à abbatant – tall French writing desk, the top
part of which resembles and armoire, having a door at its
base. The top is often flap-fronted to provide a larger
writing surface when open
16. Bouillote – table used for various card games
17. Trictrac table – a backgammon table with a removable top
that had one side covered with leather and the other
covered with baize (loosely woven with soft filling yarns);
inside was the backgammon board, and space for candles,
dice, and counters
18. Console table – a table usually supported by two legs, with
a stretcher between the legs. It was either rectangular or
shaped like a half-moon
19. Dining tables – first introduced in this period and followed
the design of other tables
20. Alcoves – still built in for some beds, were ornamented
with symbols of love
21. Duchesse Bed – similar to the angel bed except that the
tester extended over the entire length of the bed
22. Polonaisse Bed – a bed where the head and feet are the
same size
FRENCH DIRECTOIRE
This period was named ‘the directory’, the government that
briefly ruled France after the Revolution; transitional period
Interiors
1. The most important characteristic of Directoire interiors is
their simplicity
2. Paneling continued to be used, but with little carving,
although painted decoration and wallpaper were popular
3. Colors were gaudy when compared to those of the
preceding period, with stronger hues and contrasts.
Monochromatic colors were used for many decorations
4. Walls were often draped with textiles, such as toile de jouy
5. Revolutionary subject matter replaced the rustic scenes and
figures of the Louis XVI period
6. Broad stripes were popular, and damasks, silks, and
brocades continued to be used
7. Windows were elaborately draped with valances
surmounted by a military framework of lances and spears
Furniture Elements
1. Austerity and adaptation of simplified forms of Louis XIV
2. Chair backs had slightly backward roll at the top of the
chair back
3. Chair front legs curved forward in front, and back legs
curved at the back
4. Greek and Roman forms were used: throne chairs, tables
and legs, klismos back, shaped chair backs, outward-
curving sofa arms, forward-curving legs and backward-
curving rear legs, curule legs with X-shaped supports,
folding seat frames, straight-rising armrests, claw-shaped
legs, one-piece rear leg and upright
5. Motifs included revolutionary symbols: liberty cap,
tricolor, piled pikes, clasped hands, fasces (Roman bundle
of rods enclosing ax, cross, sword, spade and bonnet, spear,
trumpets, drums), agricultural symbols (plough, flail,
scythe, sheaves of wheat), Greek symbols (star, lyre,
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 lozenge, vase, key, tripod, torches, swan), Egyptian
symbols (lotus, lily, papyrus, palm, reed, lion’s head,
sphinx, pyramids)
6. Innovations included the meridienne, a daybed for
reclining – ornamentation was applied and inlaid and
included carved legs and posts, friezes and borders,
pilasters, metal mounts, and porcelain plaques
FRENCH EMPIRE
• Style associated with the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte
• Pierre Fontaine and Charles Percier, government architects,
established the Empire Style
Interiors
1. Empire style reflected in furniture rather than in interiors
2. During the Revolution many interiors had been destroyed
and much reconstruction was necessary
3. Their work was severe and strongly influenced by Pompeii,
as expressed in their plates from Recueji de decorations
intériures
4. New rooms were larger than those of the Louis XVI Period
5. Rooms were squared or had semicircular ends
6. Walls were plain painted plaster with a soft glossy finish,
and were covered with wallpaper or stretched or loosely
draped fabric held with nail heads and tassels. Some walls
had painted friezes
7. Cornices were often gilded
8. Ceilings were flat and some had stars or a center rosette
9. Marble mantles were supported by columns, pilasters or
caryatids
10. Columns and pilasters were used over doors, windows and
mantles
11. Windows and alcoves were elaborately draped with tassels
and fringes. Valances, jabots, and swags were common.
Floors, either parquet or black and white marble squares,
were frequently left uncovered to preserve the antique look
12. Oriental rugs were used occasionally
13. Harsh colors were common in fabrics and wallpapers and
included greens, magentas, golds, browns and blues
Furniture Elements
1. Motifs included Napoleonic devices (wreaths of oak leaves
tied with ribbons, bees, the letter N, swan, wreath encircled
with stars), military symbols (tripods, victory emblem,
eagle, helmeted warriors, Roman chariots, weapons),
Egyptian symbols (palm leaves, sphinx, ancient head with
headclothes, lotus, lotus capitals, obelisks, pyramids,
hieroglyphics), and classical symbols (caryatids, sirens,
marine horses, griffins, horns of plenty, arabesques,
acanthus leaves, garlands, husks, laurel leaves, heads of
Hermes and masks of Bacchus, amphorae, chimeras).
2. Curved legs were used on chairs, with the front curving
outward and the rear curving back like a saber (saber leg);
or caryatid chimera, turned, pillared, curving, or griffin
shaped legs
3. Feet were plain, paw, and claw
4. Few new forms appeared: the sleigh bed (often made in one
piece); a dressing table with drawer, mirror and
candleholders bookcases with glass doors; a pedestal round
table, and a three-legged round table made along classical
lines, with winged swans and garlands as ornaments
5. More massive in scale and emphatically rectangular than
those of the Directoire
6. The gondola form was introduced
Furniture Types
1. Gueridon – round table with a marble top supported by one
central leg
2. Chairs
• Klismos type
• Roman curule form
• Egyptian-inspired
3. Gondola – chair with a deep concave back, and curved
stiles that sweep toward the seat rail
4. Beds
• Sleigh beds – a bed with a scrolled headboard
and footboard that mimics the shape of a horse-
drawn sleigh
• Turkish bed/Lit a la turque – a bed plazed
horizontaly against a wall
• En bateau (boat shaped)
5. Méridienne – named for the time of day when the sun is
near the meridian, this long chair is often referred to as a
“Fainting Couch” because ladies wearing tight corsets
would literally collapse onto it, faint of breath. Used by
women for dining.
6. Recamier Sofa – based on a painting of Madame Recamier
by Jacques Louis David; they incorporate the rolled over
arms and turned tapered legs; aka ‘lit bateu’
7. Canape de l’amitie – an upholstered settee or sofa
developed in mid-19th century France, essentially two
chairs pushed together and connected with a long bench in
between that allowed stimulated young lovers to sit close
together on the same sofa while never going so far as to
actually touch
8. Indiscreet – a type of upholstered couch that can seat three
people; developed in the mid-19th century; consists of three
connected armchairs in a pinwheel pattern
9. Dressing table with the lyre leg (with brass strings)
candleholders, and a mirror (was a new form)
Accessories
1. Mirrors had plain frames and several were used in each
room. Some were large and free standing and others were
portable.
• Pier glass – aka psyche, glass or mirror designed
to stand against a wall
2. Mantel clocks in bronze and marble, painted porcelain
vases and gilded, antique bronzes, Grecian pottery, and
torchères were popular
3. Invention of the Jacquard loom prompted the production of
rich royal textiles
FRENCH PROVINCIAL (1650-1900)
French Provincial furniture was the furniture of the landed
gentry, the middle classes, and the wealthier peasants. In addition,
many nobles had châteaux or manor houses in which the ornate,
fragile furniture of the period appeared out of place. The simpler
French Provincial furniture evolved to fill their needs. Louis XV style
was the strongest influence because it was lighter and easier to fit into
the small farmhouses.
Interiors
1. At first there was just one room where the family worked,
ate, slept, and played
2. Houses gradually became larger, although the kitchen, with
its open-hooded fireplace rising to the wood-beamed
ceiling, remained the center of the house
3. Walls were of rough white plaster or occasionally paneled.
Frequently they were stenciled to resemble wallpaper
4. Panel moldings were simple with curved forms at the top
and bottom of the frame
5. There were no cupboards, closets or storage areas, thus, the
armoire became the most important family possession and
in some provinces, was placed in a separate bedroom
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 6. Furniture was arranged around the walls so that it appeared
to be part of the interior architecture
7. In colder areas, beds with wooden doors were built into the
walls for warmth and for protection against the night air
8. Desks, a status symbol, indicated that the owner could read
and write and were used by both the bourgeoisie and the
landed gentry
Furniture Elements
1. Featured curvilinear construction, restrained curved panels,
small cabriole legs
2. Designs tended to be simpler, less expensive to produce,
larger and heavier than those of the Parisian styles
3. Styles were combined with Louis XV more popular;
change was slow
4. Cane backs and rush seats were common
5. Pieces had delicate or high relief carving into solid wood,
few veneers; moldings important
6. Simple metal mounts of steel an brass were used
7. Tie-on cushions were used rather than upholstery
8. Legs were spiral and baluster turned
9. Feet were scroll, bun, bell
10. Motifs included native flora, baskets, vases
11. Stretchers were used
Furniture Types
1. French ladder back chair with rush seat
2. Settee
3. Armoire – clothes cabinet
4. Buffet – serving cabinet
5. Desks
BIEDERMEIER (1815-1848)
German style of the first half of the 19th C., chiefly based
on the French Empire form. A combination of the Greek, Roman and
Egyptian motifs. The name arose from a comic character, Papa
Biedermeier, a symbol of the middle class, who had definite ideas
about comfort and contentment
Furniture Elements
1. Had classical lines with some curves
2. More for middle class than royalty
3. Had many plain surfaces
ENGLISH PERIODS
ENGLISH EARLY RENAISSANCE
1. Happened with two royal families in rule:
• The Tudors – Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I
• The Stuarts – Charles I, James I
2. The period introduced by Henry VIII when he hired two
Italian sculptors
• Pietro Torrigiano – Florentine sculptor who was
commissioned to design Henry VIII’s and his
wife Elizabeth’s tomb
• Giovanni da Maiano – who disseminated the
influence and style of the Italian Renaissance
3. Henry VIII’s establishment of himself as head of the
Church of England led to the dissolution of the
monasteries, which resulted in the founding and building of
schools and universities. The move also created
implications in interior design as many families now
included libraries in their homes
4. Henry VIII was considered as a great benefactor of the art
so during this period, architecture and the arts flourished
5. The Renaissance style in England was still heavy with
Gothic influence during Henry’s time, since not too many
architects or artists were able to travel extensively outside
of England
6. Elizabeth’s reign was considered to be the age of prosperity
and was also considered the height of the English
Renaissance
7. By the mid-16th century, architect Iñigo Jones, the official
Royal architect, was able to travel to Italy and became
influenced by the work of Andrea Palladio, the famous
Renaissance architect. Jones introduced Palladianism to
England but his works also showed early Baroque
tendencies.
Interiors
1. Ceilings – in stucco or pargework, carved wood, or plaster
2. Floors – brick was commonly used from 16th – early 17th
centuries. Tile, wood, and flagstone were used by all
classes; stone was used for ground floors while oak and elm
were used for the upper floors
3. Walls – treatments were basically of three types: paneling,
plaster and textile hangings. Decorative treatments include
parchemin and Romayne work.
• Parchemin – a low-relief carving formed like a
sheet of paper or piece of linen folded in half and
then spread out to give an appearance of an
opened book
• Strapwork – stylized representation in ornament
of leather straps
• Romayne work – decorative detail in which
heads, often in profile, were carved in medallions
on architectural elements
Furniture Characteristics
1. Heavy, massive and were very often made of oak
2. Multifunctional either by design or by circumstance
3. Displayed Gothic and French Renaissance inspiration and
motifs, such as linenfold, arches, etc.
Furniture Types
1. Caquetoire – derived from the French gossip chair and
featured a trapezoidal seat
2. Wainscot Chair – typical antique Tudor chairs, called
“settle chairs” had tall straight backs and sturdy oak wood
arm supports and were of box-like form with an enclosed
area beneath the seat often being used for storage as a kind
of cupboard
3. Chair Table – can be used either as chair or table, usually
with a square or circle hinged back
4. Table Dormant – used by the master of the house and his
family, stood on a dais at the end of the room
5. Draw Table – had layers so constructed that the lower
leaves could be pulled out at each end and the upper
portion would drop down between them, doubling the table
area; the leaves were supported by runners
6. Settee – a fully upholstered seating for more than one
person
7. Hutch Table – a serving table with a cupboard that was
placed against the wall and used as a side table
8. Aumbry – designed for food storage and had pierced
carving for ventilation on the front
9. Press – a tall storage unit used for storage of linen or
clothing
ELIZABETHAN PERIOD
• The term given to early Renaissance architecture in
England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically
the period responds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early
Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain
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 • Elizabeth’s reign was considered to be the age of prosperity
and was also considered the height of the English
Renaissance.
• Gradual transition from the Tudor
• The transitional style between Gothic and Renaissance in
England; mainly country houses, characterized by large
mullioned windows and strapwork ornamentation
• Emphasis on symmetry and classical concepts of planning
• Iñigo Jones – he introduced Renaissance Classicism into
England. Studied architecture in Italy and was influenced
by Andrea Palladio; royal architect of England
Architecture
a. Hardwick Hall (1590 – 1597) – the numerous and large
mullioned windows are typically English Renaissance,
while the loggia is Italian
b. Queen’s House – example of English Palladianism by Iñigo
Jones; a former royal residence for Anne of Denmark, the
queen of King James I of England
Interiors
1. Carved wood, plaster and iron encased in plaster were the
materials of significance, especially for the ceiling
2. Pargework was used to decorate ceilings and sometimes
walls
3. Windows and Doors: diamond-shaped glass panes were
most prevalent, but sometimes roundels and heraldic
patterns were inserted
4. Oriel and bay windows were still used and bow or
semicircular windows were added, but glass panes were
still small
5. Medieval detail merged with classical detail introduced in
the middle of the century
6. Doors were flat-headed though impressive pedimented
doors were more frequent by 17th century
Furniture Characteristics
1. Furniture was no longer painted
2. Pieces were heavy, massive, rectilinear, but lighter than the
Tudor designs
3. Ornamentation was lavish
4. Motifs included cup and cover (top covered with
gadrooning, bottom with acanthus leaves), top support of
crude ionic scroll form, strapwork, grotesques, caryatids
5. Stretchers were low and heavy
6. The court cupboard was an innovation
Furniture Types
1. Thrown or Turned Chair – an armchair composed of turned
frame members, spindles, stretchers, etc. With only three
legs and a triangular seat
2. Glastonbury Chair – an X-framed folding chair
3. Draw Table – the apron beneath the table top was ornately
carved or inlaid with a checker pattern and the legs of the
bulbous cup and cover form, which mirrored the puffed
sleeves of Elizabethan costume
4. Court Cupboard – “short” cupboard; a cupboard with three
shelves for display for use in the great hall
5. Beds – large and elaborately decorated after the mid-16th
century. Canopies or testers were supported by posts at the
foot and by the headboard
ENGLISH JACOBEAN
The period when James I came into power.
Furniture Characteristics
1. There was an accurate interpretation of Renaissance
features in both interiors and furniture.
2. Pilasters were being used to divide wainscoting in interiors
3. The ornamentation became smaller, lighter with flatter
carving
4. Development of chairs without arms
5. Upholstery became popular
6. Gate-leg table introduced
7. Perimeter stretchers were used
Furniture Types
1. Jacobean Wainscot Chair – featured wainscoting simulating
the wall paneling of the time
2. Farthingale Chair – prominent in the early 17th century,
this was an upholstered, armless chair designed to
accommodate the fashion for extreme width in women’s
dresses
3. Gate-leg table – table with drop leaves supported by
hinged, gate-like legs
CROMWELLIAN PERIOD
• Stylistic changes in furniture and interiors occurred
• The period was marked by the outbreak of the Civil war in
1642, which led to the appointment of Puritan Oliver
Cromwell as Lord Protector
• Simplicity in both interiors and furniture were stressed
Furniture Elements
1. Simple and utilitarian, usually consisting of leather fastened
with brass studs
2. Knob turning was often used on the front legs of chairs
3. Most common chairs were the Yorkshire and the
Derbyshire – lightly scaled chairs introduced around the
mid-17th century
4. Backrests
• Crescent-shaped cross rails mounted between the
stiles of the back
• Arcaded back
5. Stretchers were commonly at two levels
6. Fully upholstered pieces were introduced
ENGLISH MIDDLE RENAISSANCE
• The restoration of Charles II to the throne of England and
the overthrow of the Cromwellian regime
• Nobles gained in political stature and significantly
increased their land holdings by purchasing the estates of
small landowners
• The Whigs came into power, and accepted William III and
Mary II as joint constitutional monarchs
• Baroque influence came by way of Holland and France
• The Age of Walnut
Interiors
1. Designed to meet family needs, palace have both state
quarters and family apartments
2. Upper-class citizens utilized the concept of apartments and
sequences of spaces observed in royal residences
3. Spaces observed the enfilade arrangement which reflected
social order
• Enfilade – an ordered, axial arrangement of a
succession of doors through a series of rooms
4. How far the visitor entered the house was an indication of
his standing with the owner
5. Provision of corridors was an important planning concept.
Backstairs were also considered important as private exit or
entrance for important visitors who wished to avoid normal
entrance to the apartments
6. Wall: tapestries, textiles, leather, paintings, wood panel
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 7. Floors: marble for more important spaces, parquet was used
to fence an area of great importance
8. Sash or double hung windows were introduced
9. Illusionistic architectural painting was used (quadratura) by
painters Antonio Verrio and Louis Laguerre
CAROLEAN PERIOD
Also known as the Restoration period, when Charles II
ascended the throne after being exiled in Paris, France.
Furniture Elements
1. Walnut replaced oak
2. Chairs with caning and covered with loose cushions
3. Carving and turning were the principle means of
ornamentation
4. Stretchers, arms, upright backs, aprons were with Flemish
scroll arrangements
5. Chairs with caning and covered with loose cushions
6. Chairs with ball- and bun-shaped feet, twist turning for
stretchers and caned backs
7. Legs were turned, trumpet or cabriole
8. Flemish scroll or Spanish foot
9. Japanning – English lacquer technique in imitation of dark
Japanese varnish/lacquer technique
10. Oysterwork
Furniture Types
1. Wingback Chair or Sleeping Chairs
2. Secretaries on stands
3. Highboy – a tall chest of drawers, usually in two sections,
with larger drawers above and small ones below
4. Bed topped with valance
WILLIAM AND MARY PERIOD
1. Followed the Restoration style and marked the beginning of
the Age of Walnut. The style relied on the heavy Dutch
influence.
2. Named for the English King William of Orange and his
consort, Mary.
3. New colonists in America brought their English furniture
traditions with them and tried to translate these styles using
native woods.
Furniture Characteristics
1. Legs were turned, trumpet or cabriole
2. Flemish scroll or Spanish foot
3. The most outstanding characteristics were heavy turning
knobbed bun feet on chests and tables
4. Upholstering material were leather, tapestries, crewelwork,
wool, linen, silk, and velvet
5. Chairs were generally lighter in form
6. Back were narrower and taller
7. Armrests terminated into ram’s horns
8. Used x-shaped stretchers that terminate with a finial
(saltire)
9. Attention to the use of fabrics was given importance
Furniture Types
1. William and Mary Chair
2. Bureau Cabinet – a desk topped with a tall cupboard
containing glazed or paneled doors
3. Highboy
4. Beds were lavish and imposing, some were as high as 14
feet
QUEEN ANNE PERIOD
Corresponds to English Late Baroque. This furniture style
is simpler, lighter and more comfortable than its predecessors.
Furniture
1. Chairs had open-splat backs, were spoon-shaped in profile,
had fiddle, vase, and parrot forms
2. Furniture was lighter, more refined; human scale was
considered
3. Carving was low-relief; delicate
4. Seats have rounded front corners; back of the seats are
narrower than the front
5. Stretchers were eliminated
6. The cabriole leg was the chief characteristic, with pad, club
or slipper foot; the ball-and-claw foot became popular after
7. Broken pediments and bonnet tops on secretaries
Furniture Types
1. Wingback Chair – a type of upholstered easy chair, usually
taller than it is wide, with two side panels or wings flanking
the high back and closed panels under the arms, which are
usually rolled
2. Windsor Chair – a wood chair whose back and sides consist
of multiple thin, turned spindles that are attached to a solid,
sculpted seat; its straight legs splay outward and its back
reclines slightly. It takes its name from the English town of
Windsor, where it originated around 1710.
• Hoop, comb, arch or fan back
3. Queen Anne Secretary – a writing desk fitted with drawers,
one of which can be pulled out and the front lowered to
provide a flat writing surface
4. Highboys – always made in two pieces, consists of a base
that resembles a lowboy and an upper chest of drawers.
Queen Anne highboys may be flat-topped or crowned by a
high bonnet top, often ornamented with carved finials; they
are mounted on elegant cabriole legs that terminate in pad
or Dutch feet
5. Gaming Tables
6. Pie Crust Table
7. Handkerchief Table
8. Tea Table
9. Drop-leaf Table
ENGLISH BAROQUE
Had Charles III as its patron. He was in sympathy with the
lavish ostentation of his cousin Louis XIV. It is a style known for its
awkwardness and overly ornate handling of French Baroque
characteristics.
Architectural Landmarks
a. St. Paul’s Cathedral (1675) by Christopher Wren – the
largest cathedral in England; the dome is an adapted and
enlarged version of the Tempietto of Bramante; the lower
levels were more Palladian
b. Castle Howard – one of the premier stately homes of
England, Castle Howard is a baroque masterpiece, more
palace than house, conceived by Charles Howard, 3rd Earl
of Carlisle, and executed by Sir John Vanbrugh from 1699.
It is essentially two unbalanced wings, designed and
executed to divergent visions, ranged about a central dome
of striking beauty
c. Blenheim Palace – an architectural masterpiece in the
English Baroque style, built by the architect John Vanbrugh
aided by Nicholas Hawksmoor. Begun in 1705.
ENGLISH STYLES
GEORGIAN ARCHITECTURE
The name given in most English-speaking countries to the
set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is
eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of
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Hanover – George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain,
George III of the United Kingdom, and George IV of the United
Kingdom.
The design of manors planned as simple symmetrical
square or rectangular blocks with or without wings.
ENGLISH EARLY GEORGIAN
Historical Influences
1. Act of Settlement of 1701 – states that should there be no
heir from the union of William III and the future Queen
Anne, the throne will pass from the Stuart line to the
Hanover line
2. Power of the Whigs – the Whigs devised a moral basis for
the evaluation of the arts. The bases if which were:
• Canons of the Classical
• Architectural principles of Palladio
• The works of architect Iñigo Jones
• Reliance on the study of classical antiquity
3. Power and prestige of the upper classes
Palladianism
• A European style of architecture derived from Andrea
Palladio. In England, it observed the proportionate
relationship between the basement, piano nobile, and the
attic
• William Kent – used an integrative approach to designing
architecture, landscape and furniture by making each
complementary of each other
• Iñigo Jones – architect who introduced Palladianism to
England
Interiors
1. Versatility in planning to accommodate social events of the
assembly, and thus resulted in the sequence of communal
rooms
• Salon – used for dancing, receiving guests and
infrequently for dining
• Dining room – often the best and largest of the
public space
• Hall – often a dramatic space, approached by a
narrow, barrel-vaulted vestibule, which opens to
a towering circular domed hall
2. Spatial enhancements
• Repetition of the overdoor scalloped shells
centered with busts in the vestibule and at the
attic level of the domed hall
• Replication of modeled figures
• Light provided by the round windows in the
dome
3. Walls – wallpaper, tapestries, paintings, stucco, scagliola
4. Floors – wood and stone, parquet, floor cloths
Furniture Elements
1. Carving became more elaborate and ornate, the splat itself
was elaborated to an extreme degree
2. Cabriole leg was ornamented with satyrs, lion’s head and
leaf designs
3. Tendency towards extravagance, showed greater
consideration for comfort, as well as richness of decoration
and ornament
4. Woodwork was gilded to some extent
Furniture Types
1. Cabochon and Leaf Style Chair
2. Pier Table
3. Decorated Queen Anne Chair
4. Lion Style Chair – carved lions were the popular motif and
took the form of masks on the knees of cabriole legs, heads
as terminator on the arms of settees and chairs, and paws
served as feet
5. Satyr Mask Style Chair
6. Yoke Back Chair – a version of the Queen Anne Chair with
pierced splat and squared top rail
ENGLISH LATE RENAISSANCE
MIDDLE GEORGIAN – CHIPPENDALE (1745 – 1770)
• Thomas Chippendale wrote the Director, a book that
established the Rococo style
• Decoration was characterized by curved lines, rocaille,
cocailles, flowers, fruits, foliage, birds, animals and human
figures
• Aspect of the style were Rococo, Gothic and Chinese
Chippendale Furniture Elements
1. Influence of Georgian, Rococo, French, Gothic and
Chinese motifs
2. Chairs had open backs and pierced splats
3. Use of the cockle shell
4. Upholstery entirely covered the seat frame attached to the
apron
5. Carving was the main type of decoration, favorite styles
being lion’s paws, shells, acanthus, acorns, roses, dolphins,
and scrolls
6. Inlay, painting, or applied ornament is also used
Chippendale Furniture Types
1. Chippendale Chairs
• Ribband Back Chair – scroll and interlacing
ribbon work at the back of the chair
• Gothic with straight legs
• Ladder-back Chair
• Chinese with pagoda back
2. Pembroke Table – light, drop-leaf table designed for
occasional use, probably deriving its name from Henry
Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke (1693 – 1751), a noted
connoisseur and amateur architect. The table has two
drawers and flaps on either side that can be raised by
brackets on hinges (known as “elbows”) to increase its size
3. Pie-crust Tilt-top Table – a tilt-top is a pedestal table with a
hinged top which can be dropped vertically when not in use
LATE GEORGIAN/EARLY ENGLISH NEOCLASSIC
• Began as a reaction to the excesses of the Baroque and
Rococo
• The travel and study in Europe of persons who were to be
influential architects and designers of England
• The study of archaeological excavations
• Publications
• The beginnings of the Industrial Revolution and the advent
of new materials
Interiors
1. Imperial Roman baths were the basis for the contrasting of
the room shapes
2. The Neoclassic Movement was that of ordered
arrangements, simplicity, a predilection for the linear, the
symmetrical and low relief
3. Due to changed perceptions of theorists about antique
Roman architecture, there was greater freedom to plan
4. Plaster and stucco became highly important in the
execution of the decorative works of Adam
5. Ormolu and papier-mache were used
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 6. Carreaux d’octagones was used as pattern for flooring –
black diamond set in the middle of large intersecting
squares
Robert Adam – architect and furniture designer who took the total
integration of interior design to a new level never before seen in
England. Every aspect of the interior was submitted to the overall
scheme of decoration.
Robert Adam Furniture Elements
1. Almost all his furniture had slender, fluted legs with spade
feet
2. The graceful curve predominated, especially on chair backs
3. Dainty carving is sparingly used, consisting mostly of
classical motifs, wheatears, ferns, husks, urns, rosettes, and
Prince of Wales feathers, which he introduced
4. Mahogany is the favored wood, with some satinwood, birch
and sycamore
5. Marquetry was revived as a technique of decoration
6. Figural paintings were executed
7. Grissaile – painting in which various tints and shades of
one color gives the impression of a relief design
8. Ormolu mounts and gilding were used
9. Festoons were prominently used for mirrors, both on and
under friezes of tables
Robert Adam Furniture Types
1. Chair Wheel or Radial Back; or Prince of Wales Feathers
Back
2. Sideboard – a piece of furniture designed to hold plants,
decanters, side dishes, and other accessories for a meal and
frequently containing cupboards and drawers
3. Pedestals and Urns
4. State Bed – features a dome as canopy supported by four
columns
George Hepplewhite - a cabinetmaker; used a distinctive style of
light, elegant furniture that was fashionable between about 1775 and
1800. One characteristic that is seen in many of his designs is a
shield-shaped chair back, where an expansive shield appeared in
place of a narrower splat design
George Hepplewhite Furniture Elements
1. Most known for the shieldback chair. In America, he is
considered a substyle of the Federal period
2. Credited for two features of furniture design: popularizing
satinwood and the use of painted motifs
3. Slender proportions, extreme grace and elegance and
enriched color
4. Legs were always straight and slender, were either round or
square, and sometimes ended with a spade, thimble or sabot
form
Hepplewhite Furniture Types
1. Hepplewhite Chairs
• Medallion
• Interlaced Heart
• Hoop
• Camel
• Shield-back
2. Pembroke Table
3. Confidante
Thomas Sheraton – the ‘Apostle of the Straight Line’
Sheraton Furniture Elements
1. Turned or reeded tapering legs with spade foot
2. Rectangular chair backs with splats of interlacing
rectangles, lyre or tripod design
ENGLISH REGENCY (1810 – 1830)
• The period of transition from the George III to the
ascension of George IV
• The period of severe neoclassicism, and was heavily
influenced by Empire and Directoire
• Architecture was influenced by the Picturesque movement
who depicted architectural elements in informal landscape
environments with attention to a mixture of style
• Picturesque – landscape gardens were characterized by
untamed features, including streams, clusters of trees. In
architecture, it emphasized irregularity, asymmetry and
appreciation of historic periods
Spatial Relationships
1. Light and open; designed to accommodate informal living
2. Rooms were smaller; ceilings, lower
3. Simple architraves on windows and doors
4. Use of central moldings for chandeliers
5. Fireplaces were much simpler
6. Public rooms were located at ground level and varied in
shape. State and family apartments continued to be
incorporated at ground level in some of the larger
residences
7. Social rooms were of prime importance in view of the
informality of the period and of their importance to
facilitating the house party
8. Masculinity was associated with the dining room,
femininity with the drawing room
9. The military sequence of events led to certain stylistic
features in furniture design such as the use of saber leg,
eagle, Egyptian motifs
Furniture Elements
1. Inspired by the French Empire Style
2. Chairs have both straight and concave backs
3. Saber leg
4. Cable twist
5. Metal grille
6. Lyre shape used for chair backs and table ends
Furniture Types
1. Monopodia – a table composed of a chest and foot of a lion
2. Chairs – klismos, Chinese or Egyptian style
3. Chiffonier – a sideboard with two doors that had brass
lattice work on a pleated silk back
4. Sofa Tables – long narrow table with a drop leaf at each
end and two drawers
5. Trafalgar Chair – a light chair used in mourning, death of
Admiral Nelson
Thomas Hope – his style became known as the English Empire Style
• Influenced by Egyptian forms and motifs
• Chairs have both straight and concave backs
• Use of woodworking machine
VICTORIAN PERIOD
• The reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 up to her death in
1901
• The Industrial Revolution – Industrialization brought many
innovations in architecture. Victorian styles include Gothic
Revival, Italianate, Stick, Eastlake, Queen Anne,
Romanesque and Second Empire.
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 • The revival and eclectic architecture, décor and furnishings
popular in English-speaking countries during the reign of
queen Victorian of England.
• Characterized by rapid changes of style as a consequence
of aesthetic controversy and technological innovations, by
the frequent presence of ostentatious ornament, and by an
overall trend for classicism at the start to Romanticism and
Eclecticism at the middle period and to classicism again.
• The Corn Laws
• 19th century Reformists
• A. W. N. Pugin – one of the reformists who led the cause
for the Gothic revival
• Period of Eclecticism
General Features in Victorian Architecture
1. Cast-iron framing
2. Utilitarian structures that often lacked traditional
ornamentation
Architectural Landmarks
a. Crystal Palace by Joseph Paxton – for the Great Exhibition
in 1851; made of prefabricated iron and glass panels
b. National Library, Paris by Henri Labrouste – use of slender
cast-iron columns over which nine vaulted sky-lighted
domes where suspended
c. Eiffel Tower by Gustav Eiffel – an iron lattice tower
located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, named after the
engineer Gustav Eiffel, whose company designed and built
the tower. Built for the 1889 International Exhibition, Paris,
the centenary celebration of the French Revolution
d. Paris Opera House (1874) by Charles Garnier – the
building, in the eclecticism and the exuberance of its
decoration, is today seen as one of the symbols of the
Imperial regime. It remains an ornate building richly
decorated with friezes, columns, and winged figures among
other statues and embellishments. This richness continues
inside with velvet, gold leaf, and nymphs and cherubs. The
auditorium’s central chandelier weighs over six tons, and
its ceiling was painted in 1964 by Chagall.
Spatial Relationships
1. There was high degree of stratification in interiors; spaces
were designated for women, men, children and servants
2. Rooms were designed for specialized activities within each
area
3. Private stairs for parents allowed easy access to the
children
4. Billiards and smoking rooms began to appear in the mid-
19th century
5. Ground floor rooms were fashionably tall; spatial
excitement were frequently generated in and around the
staircase hall
6. Modulation of spaces were sometimes articulated in the use
of columns to visually separate areas but not entirely close
them in
7. Revival styles were introduced
Interior Elements
1. Iron was extensively used during the Victorian period from
exposed iron girders to wooden beams to construction of
conservatories
2. Glass was now possible to be installed in large panes
3. Textural interest for walls and ceilings were achieved with
the use of lincrusta and anaglypta
4. Lincrusta – used to simulate leather wall coverings in bas-
relief, often applied to the dado
5. Anaglypta – type of lightweight, modeled wallpaper
6. Floors were polished wood with rugs and carpet by
Axminster and Wilton; encaustic tiles inlaid to form a
pattern
Furniture Elements
1. Victorian designers borrowed influences from a multitude
of past historic styles:
• Greek
• Louis XIV
• Elizabethan
• Gothic
• Louis XV
2. Michael Thonet – cabinetmaker, pioneered the use of
bentwood
3. Cast iron and papier mache were popular materials for
chairs
4. Mahogany, oak, walnut and rosewood were the favored
woods
5. Overstuffed and tufted upholstery
6. Upholstered chairs had high backs with low curved legs
7. The characteristics were a large, heavy, substantially built,
clumsy style
8. Carving motifs are scrolls, flowers, leaves, and classical
figures
9. The chairs have oval and horseshoe-shaped backs. Large
rockers became popular
Furniture Types
1. Balloon-back Chair – the back upright is waisted just above
the seat, widening to a rounded curve at the top rail,
forming a balloon shape
2. Conversation Sofa / Tete-a-tete – often seen in an S- shape,
this allowed for discreet conversation between two people
without the assumption of intimacy
3. Indiscreet – a type of upholstered couch that can seat three
people; developed in the mid-19th century, probably in
France; a circular sofa, divided into three sections that
share a single tall back in the center
4. Chesterfield Sofa – a type of deep, completely upholstered
sofa with rolled arms that are the same height as the back,
with which they form a single curve; traditionally in tufted,
buttoned leather, though other fabrics can be used
5. Papier Mache Furniture
6. Nest of Tables – a graduated series of small tables,
designed to slide one inside the other
7. What-not / Étagère – hanging or standing open shelves. A
light, elegant unit for displaying books, bric-a-brac, etc.
GOTHIC REVIVAL
A movement aimed at reviving the spirit of Gothic
Architecture originating in the late 18th C but flourishing mainly in
the 19th C in France, Germany, England and US.
• Augustus Pugin (1812-52) – mainspring of the
archaeologically-correct Gothic Revival with his True
Principles of Christian or Pointed Architecture (1841)
• Eugene Viollet le duc – was a leading architect whose
genius lay in restoration. He believed in restoring buildings
to a state of completion that they would not have known
even when they were first built.
Gothic Revival Architectural Landmarks
a. Westminister Palace – a collaboration between Sir Charles
Barry and Augustus Pugin; is the meeting place of the two
houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom – the
House of Lords and the House of Commons; uses the
Perpendicular Gothic style. It contains the Victoria Tower
and the Big Ben
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SPANISH STYLES
MUDEJAR (12TH-16TH C)
The architecture of the Moors and native Andalusians who
remained in Christian territory but were not converted to Christianity.
RENAISSANCE/PLATERESCO (1475-1550)
In art, artists expressed support of the Church’s doctrines.
In architecture, extremely decorated facades, which reminds of the
decorative motifs of the silversmiths’ work. The Renaissance began
to be grafted to Gothic forms in the last decades of the 15th C. The
new style I called Plateresque because of the extremely decorated
facades that brought to the mind the decorative motifs of the
intricately detailed work of silversmiths, the “Plateros”. Classical
orders and candelabra motifs (a candelieri) combined freely into
symmetrical wholes.
• Desornamentado/Herreresque (1500-1659) –A period of
austere renaissance style, prominent architect was Juan de
Herrara.
Leading Artist
• El Greco (Domenicos Theotocopolus) – originally from
Crete, he painted austere religious subjects inspired by
Jesuit fanaticism. He is Spain’s principal mannerist. His
work is characterized by elongated figures with grave
expressions producing mystical and melancholic effects.
Works: ‘The Burial of Count Orgaz’
‘The Vision of St. John Divine’
Architect
• Juan de Herrera – his designs were called severe, other
critics have found them to be of harmonious proportions
and, perhaps most important, expressed in a style suitable
to the particular building.
Architectural Landmarks
a. University of Salamanca (unknown architect) – known for
its plateresque façade
b. The Escorial – a historical residence of the King of Spain.
The complex is the design of two architects: Juan Bautista
de Toledo who drew the plans for the monastery and Juan
de Herrera who is credited with the completion of the
project
c. Granada Cathedral – one of the most impressive building
constructed using plateresque influence and was built in
1528 by de Siloe
BAROQUE/CHURIGUERRESQUE STYLE
In art, their work reflects the naturalism of the time, the
dramatic light and shade contrasts and their sobriety of color, a
feature that linked them to the tenebrosi (gloomy) palettes of
Caravaggio and the Italians.
From Jose de Churiguerra who revolted against the sobriety
of the Herreresque classicism and promoted an intricate, exaggerated,
almost capricious style of surface decoration known as the
Churiguerresque. The Churiguerresque architectural style used
extremely rich ornamentation, including extravagant, undulating
cornices, spirals, balustrades, stucco shells, and garlands.
Considered as the Golden Age of Spanish Art.
Leading Artists
a. Diego Velasquez – leading Baroque artist in 17th C Spain
and royal painter to Philip IV
Works: ‘Las Meninas’
‘Portrait of Innocent X’
b. Francisco de Goya – Spanish court painter; poignant
depictions of the brutality and corruption of the time.
Works: ‘Chronos Devouring One of His Children’
‘The Executions of the Third of May, 1808’
Architectural Landmarks
a. Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela – at the front of the
Baroque façade of the original Romanesque cathedral, a
golden mollusk shell adorns the altar.
b. The Transparente, Toledo Cathedral by by Churiguerra
AMERICAN STYLES
EARLY COLONIAL (1610-1800)
The style of English settlers in the eastern coast of North
America
Architecture Types
1. Small cottages that had clapboard siding, a thatched roof
and a chimney made from twigs finished with wattle-and-
daub, which was highly flammable
2. The Medieval half-timbering
3. The small one-room-with-loft is typical of very early
houses
4. The New England ‘ Hall and Parlor’ plan has an
overhanging second story, small windows and a central
chimney
5. Garrison Colonial, has steep pitched roofs that were
essential for allowing rain and snow to run off easily
6. The New England Saltbox developed from the hall-and-
parlor or Garrison style with the addition of an ell or lean-
to on the back
AMERICAN GEORGIAN (1714-1776)
English-inspired colonial architecture. Marked by a greater
concern for style and higher standards of comfort. It is associated
with the emergence of a wealthy middle class.
Architecture is characterized by symmetry with ornamental
detailing such as pediments, pilasters and Palladian window.
THE FEDERAL STYLE (1783-1815)
The Federal Style takes its name from the American
history, this historical period was of extreme importance for the
establishment of the United States. It saw the end of the revolution,
the creation of Articles of Confederation, and finally the Constitution
of the United States and the Bill of Rights.
It followed a stricter version of neoclassicism. The stylistic
characteristics of its domestic architecture include:
1. A low pitched or flat roof that was usually concealed
behind a balustrade
2. Moldings of a low relief and delicate ornamentation
3. When a classical order is present, the capital is diminutive
and the columns are slender
4. Emphasis is placed on the central entrance, which is often
set apart with a small, one story portico, a crowning
fanlight and narrow sidelights
5. Other ornamentation is primarily based on curved lines, as
well as Palladian window set within a recessed wall arch,
and circular or elliptical windows
Thomas Jefferson – American founding father and principal author
of The Declaration of Independence, statesman and the third
president, he had great influence in the architecture of the period.
Jefferson was involved in the design and construction of the US
Capitol Building, when President (1801-9), as well as urban planning
in Washington DC. His enthusiasm for neoclassical art had a
significant influence on the development of the nineteenth century
architecture in America.
Architectural Landmarks
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 a. The Rotunda at the University of Virginia – housed the
library, while in the pavilions, representing individual
disciplines, professors lived and held their classes. Each
pavilion demonstrated the correct use of a different Roman
order or some variant of it, the campus thus keeping before
the students’ eyes the full spectrum of classical design
b. US Capitol Building – the neoclassic domes has come to
symbolize democracy throughout the world. America’s
governing bodies, the Senate and the House of
Representative have gathered here for almost two centuries.
Its architects were William Thornton, Benjamin Henry
Latrobe and Charles Bulfinch. The famous cast iron dome
was designed by Thomas Ustick Walter.
c. The Monticello – Thomas Jefferson’s house outside
Charlottesville, it has Thomas Jefferson neoclassical touch
and style, as we can see that the Pantheon was
domesticated in the great tradition of residential Pantehons.

THE GREEK REVIVAL STYLE (1818-1850)

It was the first truly national style in the United States,
found in all regions of the country. The popularity of the style was
due to strong associations with classical tradition and democracy. The
Greek Revival was very adaptable, and permeated all levels of
building, from high to low.

GOTHIC REVIVAL
Characterized by strong associational values of religion and
nature. It is a revival style based on English and French precedents
from the late 12th-15th centuries. Gothic Revival is found in both
ecclesiastical and residential architecture with a wide range of
archaeological accuracy, from Richard Upjohn’s urban churches to
“Carpenter’s Gothic” cottages.

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