Early Renaissance Architecture in England: A Historical & Descriptive Account of the Tudor, Elizabethan, & Jacobean Periods, 1500-1625 — John Shaqi
Early Renaissance Architecture in England: A Historical & Descriptive Account of the Tudor, Elizabethan, & Jacobean Periods, 1500-1625Gotch, J. Alfred (John Alfred)
History
Early Renaissance Architecture in England: A Historical & Descriptive Account of the Tudor, Elizabethan, & Jacobean Periods, 1500-1625
The first work with Renaissance detail that was done in England was the
tomb of King Henry VII.--the actual altar-tomb, not the metal screen
enclosing it. There is no foreign influence to be detected either in
the screen or in the wonderful fan-tracery vault that spreads itself
above (Plate I). These are essentially English productions, and yet
there are certain parts of them which would lend themselves readily to
the new-fashioned detail which was about to invade our shores; parts
which in subsequent buildings were actually affected by it. But so
far, that is up to the year 1509, when the king died, the chapel being
still unfinished, there is no Renaissance detail. Nor is there any in
the fine chantry in Worcester Cathedral, wherein King Henry's eldest
son, Prince Arthur, who died in 1502, lies buried (Fig. 1). The utmost
that can be said is that here, as in the chapel at Westminster, the
Gothic work is preparing to succumb to the new influence. It has been
suggested that the king's own tomb was erected subsequently to that of
his mother, the Countess of Richmond, who also lies in the Abbey. But
the question is one of little importance; no long period can separate
the two, and the important point is that the actual invasion of the
foreign style is a well-marked event, the circumstances attending it
are on record, its results still survive in an excellent state of
preservation.
[Illustration: 2.--TOMB OF ONE OF THE COKAYNE FAMILY, ASHBOURNE
CHURCH, DERBYSHIRE. FIFTEENTH CENTURY.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account