Architecture: Gothic and RenaissanceSmith, T. Roger (Thomas Roger)
History
Architecture: Gothic and Renaissance
Smith, T. Roger (Thomas Roger)
Architecture -- History; Architecture, Gothic; Architecture, Renaissance; Church architecture
When architecture had quite passed through the transition period,
which fortunately lasted long, the buildings, not only of Germany, but
of the north generally, became uninteresting and tame; in fact, they
present so few distinguishing features, that it is not necessary to
describe or illustrate them. Russia, it is true, contains a few
striking buildings belonging to the eighteenth century, but most of
those which we might desire to refer to, were built subsequent to the
close of that century.
[Illustration: FIG. 80.--QUADRANGLE OF THE CASTLE OF SCHALABURG.
(LATE 16TH CENTURY.)]
[Illustration: {ORNAMENTAL FOLIAGE PATTERN.}]
CHAPTER XIII.
RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE IN GREAT BRITAIN, SPAIN, AND PORTUGAL.
ENGLAND.--CHRONOLOGICAL SKETCH.
In England, as in France and Germany, the introduction of the Italian
Renaissance was not accomplished without a period of transition. The
architecture of this period is known as Elizabethan, though it lasted
long after Elizabeth's reign. Sometimes it is called Tudor; but it is
more convenient and not unusual to limit the term Tudor to the latest
phase of English Gothic.
Probably the earliest introduction into any English building of a
feature derived from the newly-revived classic sources is in the tomb
of Henry VII. in Westminster Abbey. The grille inclosing this is of
good, though late Gothic design; but when the tomb itself came to be
set up, for which a contract was made with Torregiano in 1512, it was
Italian in its details. The earliest examples of Renaissance features
actually built into a structure, so far as we are aware, is in the
terra-cotta ornamentation of Layer Marney House in Essex, which it is
certain was erected prior to 1525. It is however long--surprisingly
long--after this period before we come upon the traces of a general
use of Renaissance details. In fact, up to the accession of Elizabeth
(1558) they appear to have been little employed. It is however said
that early in her reign the treatises on Renaissance architecture of
Philibert de l'Orme and Lomazzo were translated from Italian into
English, and in 1563 John Shute published a book on Italian
architecture.
John of Padua, an Italian architect, was brought to this country by
Henry VIII. and practised here; and Theodore Havenius of Cleves was
employed as architect in the buildings of Caius College, Cambridge
(1565-1574). These two foreigners undoubtedly played an important part
in a change of taste which, though not general so early, certainly did
commence before Elizabeth's death in 1603.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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