A History of Interior Design

Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe 149

150 Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe

space, and sculptured figures seem to be perched 7.4 Gianlorenzo Bernini, S. An-
around the windows at the base of the dome and drea al Quirinale,
the central oculus. The dynamic drive of the Rome, 1658–61.
Baroque also appears in the interest in passages
and stairways, often tapered or curved to imply The church is based on an
motion. The Scala Regia (1663–6), adjacent to oval plan with radiating chapels
St. Peter’s, leading into the Vatican, was designed and a dome above. Sculptured
by Bernini with lines of columns on either side figures cling to the dome’s
supporting a sloping barrel vault. The entire surface. The classicism of the
passage tapers in width and height as it moves pilaster and entablature is
upward, while windows light landings half way given Baroque treatment by
up and at the top of the stairs. The forced per- the complex plan and massed
spective of the tapered form and the contrast of sculptures.
light and dark spaces generates dramatic effect.

arches support a gilded cross on an orb.The whole Borromini
structure is encrusted with sculptured vines,
cherubs, and figures, making the surfaces alive Francesco Borromini (1599–1667) worked both
with activity. Behind the altar at the apse end of for Maderno and for Bernini before undertak-
the church there is another Bernini composition. ing independent projects in Rome. The small
The supposed chair of St. Peter, surmounted by monastery and monastic church of S. Carlo alle
a giant gold sunburst surrounding a yellow glass Quattro Fontane (7.5–7.7; 1634–43) is often
center, is visible from the entire length of the thought of as the archetypal Baroque achieve-
building. ment. The building stands at the intersection of
two streets, with fountains at each street corner
Bernini’s small Roman church of S. Andrea al (giving the church its name). One fountain is
Quirinale (7.4; 1658–61) is a single domed room at the base of the tower that stands at the side
of oval shape surrounded by small niches serv- of the undulating façade, giving this church its
ing as chapels and chancel. The profile of the powerful external presence. The small monas-
dome viewed in section exactly matches half of tic courtyard is a simple rectangle with corners
the oval of the plan. A Corinthian order lines the modified by convex, cut-off corners. The church
is a tall space of complex form in plan, essentially
oval, with paired columns that press inward and
an apse that bulges outward. A diagrammatic
analysis shows the plan to be based on a pair of

7.5 Francesco Borromini,
S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane,
Rome, 1634–43.

The interior of the monastic
church embodies complex
spatial relationships that have
made it well known as an out-
standing example of Baroque
design.

Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe 151

7.6 and 7.7 Plans of S. Carlo 1 Via Quattro Fontane
alle Quattro Fontane. 2 Via del Quirinale
3 Church entrance
The plan is based on two equi- 4 High Altar
lateral triangles sharing a base
line. A circle is placed in each TT
triangle and arcs are swung
from the meeting vertices of
the triangles V with radius R
to become tangent with the
circles at T.

V V
T R

T

equilateral triangles with a common base line; of della Porta’s building for the University of
a circle inscribed in each forms the basis for the Rome. Although it may appear to be a domed,
oval that dominates the plan (7.7). centrally planned space, closer examination
reveals the complexity typical of Baroque
The oval is emphasized by the floor pattern design. The plan is actually based on equilateral
and by the rim of the dome above, with its cof- triangles but, instead of being abutted base to
fered pattern of octagons, hexagons, and cross base as at S. Carlo, the triangles are overlapped
shapes that diminish in size as they rise to the to form a six-pointed star (7.9). Vertical support
oval lantern at the top. Light comes from high piers (each with two applied pilasters) are placed
windows at the lower edge of the dome and from at the inner angles of the star to form a circle. Of
windows in the lantern. The seemingly rub- the outward extending points of the star, the
bery flexing of walls, the curved pediments, three that relate to one of the overlapping tri-
and the “rolled over” half domes over the altar angles define the positions of the altar apse and
and side apses, together with the complexities two apsidal niches on either side of the entrance,
of the dome and the dramatic effect of the con- while the three that are the apexes of the other
trolled daylighting, all add up to make this space triangle locate the recesses of the entrance and
extraordinary in its sense of activity and tension. those on either side of the chancel niche. This
alternation of two differing treatments for the
S.  Ivo della Sapienza (7.8; 1642–62) is the
chapel built by Borromini in the courtyard

7.8 (near right) Francesco Bor-
romini, S. Ivo della Sapienza,
Rome, 1642–62.

Looking up into the dome of
this church demonstrates the
complex geometry on which
the plan was based. Six circles
drawn on a six-pointed star
create alternating convex and
concave curves. It is possible
to trace the forms of triangles,
hexagons, overlapping circles,
and stars.

7.9 (far right) Plan of S. Ivo
della Sapienza.

The plan is based on two over-
lapping equilateral triangles that
create a hexagon and twelve
smaller triangles. A circle con-
tains the hexagon.

152 Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe

panels of the walls upward to the oculus with 7.10 Cross-sectional drawing
its windowed lantern (7.10). Externally, the of Borromini’s S. Ivo della
lantern is topped by a sculptural element of Sapienza, Rome, 1642–62.
spiral or helical form. Its symbolic significance
is ambiguous and uncertain, but its visible wild This cross-sectional drawing
gesture is highly characteristic of the Baroque. reveals the geometry, based on
overlapping triangles, that is the
basis for the resultant spatial
intricacy of Borromini’s chapel.

Venice

six points of the star sets up a complex rhythm, Longhena
which is continued up into the dome above.
Venice is not a city where Baroque design estab-
The white, gold-starred dome is not simply lished a major presence. The one exceptional
round, but is hollowed out to carry the forms Baroque building there is the church of S. Maria
of  the six alternating concave and convex della Salute (begun 1631) by Baldassare Longhena
(1598–1662). It is an octagonal building with an
aisle or atrium surrounding a tall, round, domed
central space. The eight sides of the octagon offer
six radiating chapels, an entrance portal, and, on
the eighth side, an arch opening into the chancel.
The chancel, almost a separate adjacent building
with its own smaller dome, is visible from the
body of the church through the arch. The church
is brightly lit by the sixteen large windows of
the dome and has a geometrically complex pat-
terned floor in bright yellow and black marble.
The chancel is relatively dim, while there is an
opening into the Coro, or monks’ choir, beyond.
This establishes a sequence of varied light levels
that is typical of Baroque spatial richness.

Venetian interiors, such as some of those
in the medieval Doge’s Palace (7.11) that were

7.11 Sala del Senato, Doge’s
Palace, Venice, after 1574.

Venetian senators were pro-
vided with this spectacularly or-
nate setting for their meetings.
Wooden paneling runs around
the base of the walls where
there is seating in stalls for the
two hundred or more senators.
Above, the painted panels are
surrounded by gilded frames
so heavy that they almost
overwhelm the paintings within,
some of which are by Tintoretto
and his pupils.

Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe 153

reconstructed after a fire in 1574, display an is reflected externally by a central part of the
amazingly rich surface frosting of paintings façade that bulges forward in an undulating
and ornate plaster work. In the Sala del Senato curve. The entrance leads into an oval, columned
a giant wall clock shares space with paintings atrium that opens on the court. On either side
lined up above a band of wainscoting while small vestibules lead to twin stairways that curve
the ceiling presses down on the viewer with as they rise, meeting at the top at the access point
its panels of painting framed in ornate gilt. to the huge oval main salon. This room is topped
Veronese was the artist who provided the paint- by a ceiling dome, which is open at its center to
ings in 1585 for the similarly elaborate Sala del permit a view of a second ceiling high above,
Gran Consiglio, where Baroque architecture lighted by hidden windows.
appears in quadratura illusionistic perspective
as a setting for the figures acting out The Tri- Guarini’s church of S. Lorenzo in Turin (7.12;
umph of Venice above the Doge’s chair. 1666–80) is embedded in the buildings of the
Royal Palace. Its square external block, with a
Turin projecting smaller block to house the chancel,
is hollowed out in a complex pattern of bulging
Guarini and receding forms that can be viewed in plan
as Greek cross, octagon, circle, or a nameless
Baroque work was carried north by Guarino shape created by overlapping curved forms that
Guarini (1624–83), a Theatine monk who had extend into the space from its edges. The chancel
worked in Portugal, Spain, and in Paris before is an adjacent oval. All of this is treated with an
settling in Turin, where his major work is overlay of rich Baroque architectural and sculp-
located. Guarini was also a philosopher and math- tural decoration. The dome is not a simple half
ematician; his Architettura Civile (1737) helped sphere but rather a lattice of eight intersecting
to spread his influence. His major secular work arches that leave an octagonal opening at the
is the Palazzo Carignano in Turin (1679–92), a center, opening into a windowed lantern above.
massive block built around a center court, which There are eight small windows at the base of the

7.12 Guarino Guarini, S. Lor-
enzo, Turin, 1666–80.

The almost octagonal dome of
S. Lorenzo displays Guarini’s
interest in geometric complex-
ity. It is formed from the pattern
of eight intersecting arches with
eight windows at the base of
the dome, and sixteen windows
above as
the construction rises to a tall
cupolo. The dome is brightly
lit, but the church below is dim
and rich in heavily colored
and gilded, complexly curved
architectural elements.

154 Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe

dome, eight large oval and eight small pent- strange and complex forms and the theatrical 7.13 Guarino Guarini, Capella
agonal windows fitted between the arches, effects of light and dark make the chapel seem della SS. Sindone, Turin, begun
eight windows in the lantern, and a small eight- dramatic, mysterious, and disturbing. 1667–90.
windowed dome at the top of this astonishing The black and gray stones used
structure. The geometric complexity and bright Juvarra to create the chapel of the Holy
light from the many windows of the S. Lorenzo Shroud are topped by a dome
dome are thought to make reference to the con- Filippo Juvarra (1678–1736) was the designer of with a ring of six windows at
cept of infinity. The contrast with the dim lower the Superga (1717–31), a church and monastery its base and with rings of many
space of the church itself is intensely theatrical. complex outside of Turin on a hill overlooking arches, each arch resting on
the city. It is made up of a tall domed church the center of the arch below.
In 1667 Guarini began work on a chapel attached to ranges of lower monastic buildings Hidden windows illuminate
for Turin Cathedral that was being prepared arranged symmetrically around a cloister court. both the dome and the small
to house the religious relic known as the Holy Juvarra seems, in this building, to draw back dome at its top in a way that
Shroud, believed to be the cloth that held the from the complexities of Guarini and to suggest emphasizes the mystery and
body of Christ after the crucifixion. The result- a Baroque closer to the late phases of the High enhances the dramatic impact.
ing chapel of SS. Sindone (7.13) is a dark and Renaissance. This church-monastery complex,
somber space lined with black and dark gray with its great dome and flanking towers, is close 7.14 Filippo Juvarra, Stupinigi
marble. It is approached by twin flights of dark, to a pattern that appears in south Germany at hunting lodge, Turin, 1729–33.
curved stairs that lead up from the cathedral. about the same time. To what extent Juvarra The great hall of the hunting
The entrances from the two stairs and from a influenced the work north of the Alps and to lodge incorporates galleries
doorway centered at the rear (leading to the what extent he was influenced by that work for musicians and singers as
adjacent palace) establish three points of an remains uncertain. well as frescos and stucco
equilateral triangle. Three arches rise to sup- decorations. This is, in fact, re-
port the circle that is the base of a six-windowed At the huge Stupinigi Palace outside Turin ally a royal palace, rather than
drum. Above it a conical dome is built up from built for Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy (7.14 and a simple lodge, although the
six rings of flat arches, each arch resting on the 7.15; 1729–33), Juvarra designed a complex of lavish decoration of the hall is in
centers of the arches below, each ring growing low buildings in a symmetrical pattern based stark contrast to the low stable
smaller in a way that creates a perspective effect and service blocks that enclose
of exaggerated height. Hidden windows light the main courtyard.
the space from behind the arches and, at the top,
a small dome, also lighted by hidden windows,
caps the top arch ring. A golden dove hangs from
a sunburst at the center of the highest dome. The

7.15 Ground plan of Stupinigi Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe 155
hunting lodge.
BAROQUE IN NORTHERN EU-
Juvarra’s ground plan is focused ROPE
on the central hall, from which
rooms radiate at angles to form In the regions of Europe north of Italy, Baroque
a rough hexagon around a design was taken up with zest, especially in the
central court. complex spatial concepts of monasteries and
churches. The simpler spaces in secular build-
ings, with their overlay of elaborate surface
decoration, drew on French Rococo influences.

Austria

on hexagonal thirty to sixty degree relationships The link between Italian and Austrian Baroque
that spread out to tie into the surrounding park can be traced through the work of Carlo Antonio
and landscape. A double-height central salon Carlone (d. 1708), a member of an Italian family
connects to radiating rooms and passages, which of artists who relocated in Austria. Carlone
create intricate spatial relationships. The surface was the designer of the Monastery of S. Florian
decoration is a rich overlay of painted and gilded (7.16; 1718–24) near Linz, where the ceiling of
plaster work that suggests awareness of the con- the church is a series of slightly domed vaults
temporary French design in which basic forms (sometimes called sail vaults or given the German
tend toward simplification while surface orna- name of platzlgewölbe). Their surfaces of smooth
ment becomes increasingly rich. The term Rococo plaster covered with paintings give illusions
may be more appropriate here than Baroque. of high domed spaces with architectural detail
developed in false perspective. The monastic

7.16 Jakob Prandtauer and
Antonio Carlone, Monastery
of St. Florian, Linz, Austria,
1718–24.

The Marble Hall, which was
the work of Prandtauer after
Carlone’s death, contains col-
umns of faux marble with gilded
capitals and ornate stucco
work, and these form the base
for an elaborate painted ceiling
by the Italian artist Martino
Altomonte. The painting, in faux
perspective, glorifies Austria’s
then recent victory over the
Turks.

156 Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe

buildings were completed by an Austrian, Jakob 7.17 (above) Jakob Prandtauer,
Prandtauer (1660–1726), and include the cer- library, Abbey
emonial Marble Hall with decorative stucco of Melk, Austria, 1702–38.
work and faux marbling by F. J. Holzinger, an
Austrian, and a painted ceiling by Altomonte The bookshelves line the walls,
and Sconzani, both Italians. The nearby abbey of and above them ornamental
Melk (7.17 and 7.18; 1702–38), a vast complex of brackets support the balconies.
connected buildings on a high bluff overlooking The floor is tiled simply in mar-
the Danube, is entirely the design of Prandtauer. ble, and only the ceiling
The church interior, with stucco architectural is free for exuberant painting.
detail and illusionistic ceiling painting, draws The effect is close to Rococo
on Italian precedents. The secular spaces such as simplicity of form but with
the library, with its cantilevered balcony, both elaborate decorative overlay.
functional and ornamental, and the Marble Hall
(or Kaisersaal) lean toward the Rococo ornamen- 7.18 (left) Jakob Prand-
tation typical of Austrian, German, and French tauer, Abbey of Melk, Austria,
palace design. 1702–38.

In Vienna, Johann Bernhard Fischer von The collegiate church is a fine
Erlach (1656–1723) was the designer of the Karls- example of Austrian Baroque.
kirche (Church of St. Charles, 1716–37; 7.19). The The curving side walls, red-
brown marble pilasters, and
upper balconies frosted with
stucco decoration contribute
to the almost overpowering
impression. The high windows
illuminate the lavishly decorated
transverse arches.

7.19 Johann Bernhard Fischer Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe 157
von Erlach, Karlskirche, Vi-
enna, Austria, 1716–37. central space is topped by an oval dome; there are
The oval, domed interior two large and four small radiating chapels, and a
of Karlskirche (the Church great arch that opens into a deep chancel backed
of St. Charles Borromaeus) is with a screen of columns that allows a glimpse of
surrounded by chapels. The a monks’ choir beyond. The wall surface detail
deep chancel is illumined by uses a Corinthian pilaster order with generally
side windows that focus light restrained decorative detail so that attention is
on the sunburst design above focused on the great sunburst (lighted by hidden
the altar, and columns below windows) above the main altar.
permit a screened view into the
monk’s choir beyond. The high Switzerland
windows admit limited light
into the generally dim interior, The abbey of Einsiedeln (begun 1703) near
which is crammed with rich Zürich, another huge church and monastery
marble architectural detail complex, was designed by Kaspar Moosbrug-
and ornamentation. ger (1656–1723). A small chapel stands within a
large domed octagonal area at the entrance to the
7.20 Library of the monastery church; receding bays move toward the chancel
at S. Gallen, Switzerland, and altar in a progression. The overlay of sculp-
1748–70. tured form and illusionistic ceiling painting
The richness of this florid generates a complexity of space and the theat-
interior is fully in evidence here. ricality typical of the Baroque. In S. Gallen, the
The library of a monastery was ancient monastery was rebuilt in 1748–70 by
often the repository of ancient the German architect Peter Thumb (1681–1766).
and rare manuscripts (as was The church has a long narrow-aisled nave with,
the case here) so that the space at its midpoint, a round, domed interruption.
was treated with as much care The library is also a spectacular interior (7.20).
and richness as the adjacent
church. The design is enriched
with frescoes by Joseph
Wannemacher, stucco work
by brothers Johann Georg and
Matthias Gigl, and woodwork
by the lay brother Gabriel Loser
in walnut, cherry, and pine.

158 Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe

7.21 Peter Thumb, Monastery
and Pilgrimage Church of
Birnau, Germany, 1745–51.

This is a simple rectangular
room with a projecting square
chancel, but the simplicity of
the underlying plan is lost in
the lavish overlay of stucco
and painted ornament.

Germany 7.22 Plan of monastery and
pilgrimage church of Birnau.
Thumb was the architect of the smaller German
pilgrimage church in Birnau (often identified as The rectangular block at the
Neu-Birnau) of 1745–51 (7.21 and 7.22). A can- bottom is the monastery,
tilevered balcony that runs around the walls of while the massive space of the
the relatively simple rectangular church and church is rectangular with a
projecting chancel adds to the spatial interest domed choir at its eastern end.
that is further amplified by sculpture and illu-
sionistic ceiling painting. A clock is fitted into
decorative banding that divides the ceiling
painting into panels.

The pilgrimage church known as Die Wies
(7.23; 1744–54) by Domenikus Zimmermann
(1685–1766) and the monastic church complexes
at Ottobeuren (begun 1737) and Zwiefalten (1739–
65) by Johann Michael Fischer (1692–1766) are
each unique variations on the Baroque themes
of complex space, rich decorative sculpture, and

7.23 Domenikus Zimmermann, Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe 159
Die Wies, Füssen, Bavaria,
Germany, 1744–54. illusionistic painting. In an agricultural region
with few cities, and with a population having
The interior of the Pilgrimage no  experience of travel or exposure to art in
Church of Christ Scourged, any other forms, entering one of these churches,
known as Die Wies, is largely flooded with light and filled with an overwhelm-
colored white and gold, and the ing richness of color and ornament, must have
intricate plaster ornamentation been an exciting and inspiring experience.
seems to dissolve forms into
a kind of mist. The ceiling is bor- In Franconia near the German city of Bam-
dered by a ring of architectural berg one of the best known of Baroque churches,
detail, partly real and in three the pilgrimage church of Vierzehnheiligen
dimensions, partly trompe-l’oeil. (Fourteen Saints, 1742–72), stands alone on
high ground (7.24). It is the work of Johann
7.24 Johann Balthasar Balthasar Neumann (1687–1753), initially a mili-
Neumann, Pilgrimage Church tary engineer who had been sent by his patron,
of Vierzehnheiligen, near Bam- the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, to Vienna and
berg, Germany, 1742–72. Paris before returning to Franconia to devote his
efforts to architecture. The somewhat forbidding
The great pilgrimage church twin-towered exterior of the building hardly
was built with a central shrine prepares the visitor for the Baroque complex-
to house the venerated object, ity of the interior and its Rococo ornamentation.
but the ground plan is based The plan is based on a Latin cross, but the
on interlocking ovals at floor, arrangement of aisles and the related ovals of
balcony, and ceiling levels of the low domes of the ceiling elaborate and
such complexity that the interior obscure the plan form. A pilgrimage shrine-altar
is almost incomprehensibly rich dedicated to fourteen martyred saints stands in
in spatial terms. This Baroque the nave beneath an oval dome which overlaps,
concept has been overlaid
with Rococo ornament in white,
gold, and pinks, and the painted
ceiling merges into lavish plas-
ter ornamentation. Only
the floor of diagonal squares
of marble is simple.

160 Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe

and is overlapped by, adjacent ovals and circles The influence of French Rococo interior 7.25 Johann Balthasar Neu-
in a way that makes the whole interior full of design was a strong factor in shaping German mann. Residenz, Würzburg,
implied motion. The windows are large and the palace interiors and also in small, less formal Germany, 1735.
glass is white so that light pours into the space; palace buildings, often almost pavilions placed
white, gold, and pink are the dominant colors. A in gardens. François Cuvilliés (1695–1768) spent The Baroque fascination with
frosting of Rococo plaster sculpture and paint- four years in Paris working with the French movement, including vertical
ing contributes to the theatrical sense of light designer Jacques-François Blondel (1705–74) movement, made lavish stair-
and movement within the church. and returned to Germany to produce the kind ways a favorite subject, and in
of restrained yet florid interior that had become his treatment of the staircase
Neumann was also the designer of the Res- fashionable in the salons of Paris. His best-known hall in the secular context of
idenz in Würzburg (7.25; begun 1735), a huge work is the Amalienburg (1734–9), a small garden a palace, Neumann planned a
palace with a spectacular Rococo chapel, a palace, planned as a shooting box for pheasant setting for ceremonial move-
ceremonial grand stair, and a Kaisersaal with hunting in the grounds of the  Nymphenburg ment. Most
fresco-painted ceilings by the Venetian artist Palace in Munich (7.26). Its central room placed of the surfaces are white,
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696–1770). Stucco between adjacent rooms decorated in silver and embellished with rich decora-
decorative detail merges into painting, with illus- lemon yellow is of simple circular shape; three tive detail and sculptures in the
trations of endless space and foreground details windows open to the gardens. Mirrored panels Rococo manner. The colorful
that spill out of the painting over the plaster- on the walls have the effect of transforming the ceiling fresco (1751–3), with its
work. Pink, blue, and gold form the color palette. simple form of the room into seeming complex- view upward into a celestial
ity—a kind of kaleidoscope effect that repeats realm, is by Tiepolo.
The Viennese architect Lukas von Hilde- and elaborates the silvery stucco decoration of
brandt (1663–1745) worked as a consultant to the walls and ceiling and the glitter of the great
Neumann at the Würzburg Residenz. His reputa- central chandelier.
tion had been established with his work on the
Piaristen Church in Vienna (1715–21) and on the Cuvilliés was the designer of many other
palace known as the Upper Belvedere (1700–23), imperial interiors, including the gloriously elab-
also inVienna. The palace stands at the upper end orate Rococo interior of the court theater in the
of a large formal garden and looks down toward Residenz at Munich (1751–3). It is a miniature
another palace at the lower edge. A projecting
central entrance element gives access to a grand
stair hall. Here a lower flight of stairs at the center
divides at a landing into twin flights, leading to
the salon that stands at the center of a long row
of formal rooms. The stair hall is a simple square
in shape, but it is lined with Rococo sculptural
ornamentation. It is lit by huge ornamental lan-
terns supported by sculptured cupid figures
stand at the upper and lower corners of the bal-
uster railings, while one more lantern hangs from
the center of the ceiling. Each of the formal rooms
is treated with a different lining of Rococo archi-
tectural ornament and fresco painting.

The design of a palace often included indi-
vidual rooms decorated in the newly current
style. In Augsburg in Germany, for example, a
Festsaal, or ballroom, was created in the Schae-
zler Palace (1765–70). Its walls were covered
with Rococo plaster work and woodcarving,
elaborately framed mirrors, wall-bracket candle
holders, chandeliers, and fresco painting on the
ceiling and in wall panels. All of this grandeur
was intended to symbolize and emphasize the
importance of the owner of the palace, a banker
and silver merchant who had been elevated to
the nobility in recognition of his financial help
to the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe 161

7.26 François Cuvilliés, prototype for the Baroque-Rococo opera-house
Amalienburg, Nymphenburg interior, with horseshoe tiers of boxes and a
Palace, Munich, Germany, huge central royal box. Such opera houses as La
1734–9. Scala in Milan (1776–8, by Giuseppe Piermarini)
are similar spaces on a grander scale.
Silver and azure blue plaster
ornamentation by Johann FURNITURE AND OTHER INTE-
Baptist Zimmermann frames the RIOR FEATURES
windows and mirror panels. All
of the Rococo ornamentation Furniture of the Baroque era does not differ in
is in stucco, and there is little basic character from that of the Renaissance, but
painting. The angles of the mir- since Baroque design served only the wealthy
rors as they progress around and powerful, elaboration—even ostenta-
the room create repeating tion—are typical of objects made for the rooms
reflection in kaleidoscopic com- of palaces. The basic forms of cabinet furniture
plexity. The light of the candles were modified to introduce curving or bulg-
of the great chandelier would ing shapes for door or drawer fronts. Legs were
have been endlessly repeated often turned on foot or on water-powered lathes
in the mirrors. to create round ball or bulbous, jug-like shapes
(7.27). Carving of plant forms, figures, allegorical
7.27 Baroque cabinet, Palazzo
Vecchio, Florence, Italy, 1660.

162 Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe

images, and coats of arms were favorite forms of 7.28 Wardrobe, German
ornamentation, along with architectural mold- School, 1778.
ings, pilasters, and columns. The development of In this wardrobe cabinet of the
veneer made it possible to create wood surfaces German Rococo, the doors are
in varied colors and patterns, often used together ornamented with paintings
with inlays of other decorative and exotic suggesting the four seasons,
materials. Ivory, tortoiseshell, and silver were along with surrounding floral
sometimes used, and techniques for simulating decoration.
materials by marbling, graining, painting, and
gilding were valued not as economy measures, 7.29 François de Cuvillies,
but as demonstrations of skilled technique (7.28). console table, 1739.
This table was designed by
Baroque furniture tends to be large and domi- the architect of the building to
nated by fat and bulging forms, while Rococo relate to the florid ornament
design, in contrast, strives for delicacy and ele- of the mirrored Spiegelsaal
gance (7.29). Legs are slim and gently curved, of the Amalienburg of the
inlay patterns are small in scale and often very Schloss Nymphenburg Palace
elaborate. Applied ornamentation is often of in Munich.
pewter, silver, bronze, or gilt. Cabinet tops may
be of colorful marble. There was increasing use of 7.30 Johann Friedrich August
upholstered elements in seating furniture; wood Tishbein, portrait of Frederica,
frames of curving form support cushioning that Princess of Mecklenbug-Stre-
may be edged with Gimp, braid, cord, or with litz, 1797–8.
closely spaced nails with ornamental heads. Mir- Pictures and mirrors were
rors and pictures had carved and gilded frames, framed in suitably rich and
which sometimes overwhelmed what they sur- florid frames that supported
rounded (7.30). Shell, scroll, or volute shapes the Rococo love of ornament.
were favorite S-curved decorative forms. The frames often seemed to
overwhelm the pictures
Since candles were still the usual source of within, as in this example.
artificial light, candlesticks, wall brackets, and
chandeliers were functionally important and
ideal vehicles for Rococo ornamentalism. The
harpsichord, the basic keyboard instrument of
Baroque music, was often decorated with paint-
ings both outside and on the under surface of
the lid. Its legs or stand followed the Baroque
and Rococo fashions in table-base design or,
occasionally, became ornamental sculpture. The
organ in the back gallery of the typical Baroque
church was a massive construction, usually
carved and ornamented in a way that rivaled
the treatment of pulpit and altar. The clock, an
important mechanical development of medieval
technology, at first a large and costly device
to be put to work in the tower of a church or
town hall, gradually came to be made in smaller
sizes with greater accuracy and at lesser cost,
although it was still a status symbol to be put on
display in the rooms of luxurious houses. Clock
forms were elaborated with large decorated
cases or with sculptured bases.

The color palette of the Renaissance, with its
basis in gray stone, marble, white (or off-white)
plaster, and natural walnut wood, survived in
the Italian Baroque, although bright, chromatic

Baroque and Rococo in Italy and Northern Europe 163

7.31 Detail from a liturgical were usually of polished wood Parquet (small
vestment, Museum of the Ab- blocks arranged in patterns), of marble, or tile,
bey of Monte Cassino, also usually in patterns of several colors that
Italy, 1700–50. related to the shape of the room and the geom-
etry of its other design elements. Carpets or rugs
The textiles of the Baroque era were rare luxuries.
carried the forms and colors of
the Italian Renaissance forward Outside of major churches, abbeys, and
into more intense chromatic the elaborate palaces and houses of the rich,
color and stronger and more Baroque and Rococo design had limited impact.
flowing forms. Silk and silver Most people continued to live in houses that
embroidery enrich the forms dated from medieval times or from the earlier
of this vestment. years of the Renaissance, and new building con-
tinued to follow older traditions. Furniture in
these houses was limited in variety and gener-
ally simple, although it is possible to trace some
movement toward Baroque forms in “folk” or
“provincial” furniture, where curving forms
appear along with surface decoration, some-
times carved and sometimes painted.

color began to appear in textiles, rugs, and, of The richly complex aspects of Baroque and
course, in paintings. Woven textiles became Rococo design were for many years labeled by
available in increasingly rich patterns (7.31). historians as a decadent and declining phase of
Gradually, a more daring use of color, such as Renaissance work. Older books often provide
marble in varied yellows, reds, and greens, and no coverage of Baroque design or deal with it
gilding contributed to the shift toward more in only a few sentences of negative comment. A
theatrical visual effects in interiors. Pastel tones new appreciation for Baroque and Rococo design
of pink and light greens and blues were favored has emerged, however, with an understanding
in Germany and Austria, along with gilding that the Baroque emphasis on spatial complexity
and white stucco. The use of more color, but in relates to modern concepts of design. In his book
more delicate hues, is a characteristic of Rococo Space, Time and Architecture (1943), for exam-
design, where both wood and plaster are typi- ple, Sigfried Giedion began his study of modern
cally painted in soft colors with carved or stucco trends with a discussion of the links between the
detail picked out with gold or some delicate Renaissance and the enriched spatial concerns
pastel shade. The covering of walls with textiles of the Baroque. Far from being a decadent and
in rich colors also came into use in residential declining aspect of the Renaissance, the Baroque
interiors. Curtains were most often part of the era is now seen as the most significant link
appointments of the canopied bed, where they between the classicism of what went before and
were useful in controlling drafts and in main- a new and adventurous spirit that can be traced
taining the privacy that the plan layout of even to the best of recent design work.
the most luxurious houses generally ignored.
Panels of textile were used occasionally for Before discussing the role of Baroque and
screens or at doors, but window curtains and Rococo design in other parts of Europe, it is nec-
decorative drapery at windows did not appear essary to go back to an examination of the ways
until well into the eighteenth century. Floors in which Renaissance thinking moved into
France, Spain, the Low Countries, and England.
This is the material of the following chapters.



CHAPTER EIGHT

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo
in France and Spain

8.1 (left) Jules Hardouin- It is often said that the art and design concepts FRANCE
Mansart and Robert de Cotte, of the Renaissance spread outward from Italy
chapel, Versailles, 1689–1710. into France, central Europe, and Spain. The use In France at the end of the Middle Ages, Renais-
of the word “spread” suggests that this was a sance ideas encountered both conservative
The royal chapel, in the north natural and inevitable process. New ideas do, it resistance and some degree of encouragement.
wing of the palace, has an ar- is true, tend to spread, but that process may be At the end of the thirteenth century feudal ways
caded lower level and an upper, resisted or blocked as “foreign” and suspect, or were deeply entrenched and their expression
columned level for the king and welcomed and encouraged, depending on events in  Gothic architecture had reached a level of
his royal retinue. Gilding is used and attitudes in a particular place at a particu- perfection that was unmatched elsewhere in
with restraint lar time. French military involvements in Italy Europe. At the same time, political centralization,
for the railing balusters, for from 1494 to 1525 brought an awareness of Ital- with a government that was centered on a pow-
the altar and organ case above, ian ideas to the French aristocracy. Primaticcio, erful king, the growth of cities, the development
and in the detail of the vaulted Sangallo, Serlio, Leonardo da Vinci, and Bernini of trade, and the decline in the importance of the
ceiling and painted half-dome. were all active in France and enabled Italian fortification of cities and castles (made obsolete
The floor is of colored marble thinking to be translated into French practice. by the development of firearms) led gradually to
laid in geometric patterns. The As in Italy, a tentative Early Renaissance shaded the abandonment of the old medieval ways.
ceiling fresco is the work of into a High style. As Italian influence was assimi-
Antoine Coypel (1661–1722), lated, a characteristically French Renaissance As the power of the church was checked
and the marble altar is believed (and subsequently Baroque) style emerged. The by an increasingly powerful monarchy, reli-
to have been by Van Clève. use of the term Baroque for later French work gious building tended to become less important
may seem questionable since late-Renaissance as compared to secular building. France was
French work was more restrained and conserva- already amply supplied with churches and
tive in character than the developments in Italy monastic establishments, while the power-
and south Germany. The subtleties of Rococo ful aristocracy around the king felt a need for
work in France interlace with the Baroque style visible expression of power equivalent to the
extending into the eighteenth century. castle, but more practical and more comfort-
able. The palace, the country château, and the
In Spain, a similar pattern can be traced, city residence increased in importance and,
with ideas flowing both directly from Italy without the need for defense, their character
and indirectly from France. Spanish architects could change.
traveled and even, in some cases, worked in
Italy; they brought back the High Renaissance Alongside these changes in society, French
style and incorporated it into the existing, kings became involved in military efforts to
somewhat restrained, approach. Spanish love expand their power and dominance. In 1494–5
of rich ornamentation aided the movement into Charles VIII (r. 1483–98) launched a campaign
richly ornamented interiors that are strongly against the kingdom of Naples. In the course
Baroque in spirit. The Rococo character of Span- of this adventure, he and his followers had an
ish design of the eighteenth century is clearly opportunity to become acquainted with the art
based on French examples, but developed with and architecture of Renaissance Italy. Twenty-
a unique regional character. The role of Spain two Italian craftsmen were brought back to
in opening up the American continents helped France and put to work on various royal pro-
to transfer Spanish Baroque and Rococo ideas jects, including work at the château of Amboise,
across the Atlantic and into the New World. where the king had established his principal res-
idence. Louis XII (r. 1498–1515), who succeeded

165

166 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

8.2 Domenico da Cortona (?)
and Jacques and Denis Sour-
deau, Château de Chambord,
Loire, France, begun c. 1519.

The upper floor level, now
missing (or possibly never built)
makes it possible to view the
double spiral stair that rises at
the center of the main block
of the château. It connects
the principal floor levels and
gives access to the roof. The
supporting pillars are topped
with Ionic capitals, and the ceil-
ing is vaulted and coffered. The
staircase is thought to
have been based on a design
by Leonard da Vinci.

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 167

8.3 Ground plan of the Châ- Charles, was also involved in Italian campaigns, courtyard treatment of Florentine palaces. The
teau de Chambord. successfully taking both Milan and Naples. The prominent roof above, with its clutter of chim-
The ground plan of the vast wing added to the château of Blois that is called neys and dormers, remains both French and
château reveals that the house by his name (Louis XII wing) is conservative, medieval in effect.
is made up of a square central that is, medieval in concept, but details of mold-
block with wings that stretch ings and column capitals demonstrate that the The most spectacular Early Renaissance chât-
out to round towers on either craftsmen executing the work were aware of the eau is the huge royal palace/hunting lodge of
side. Low wings complete a latest Italian practices. Chambord (8.2 and 8.3; begun 1519). It is a pic-
square. The central block holds turesque mix of moated medieval round towers
rooms in each corner, leaving a Early Renaissance and high roofs, with Renaissance concepts of
cross-shaped circulation space, symmetry and orderly planning, as in the small
which is focused on the central Francis I (r. 1515–47) had a four-day visit with details of arches, pilasters, and moldings. On the
stairway. The symmetrical the Pope at the Vatican in 1515 where he must roof, an amazing collection of chimneys, towers,
layout is evidence of the early have seen the High Renaissance work then cur- domes, and dormers are full of details that make
Renaissance discovery of classi- rent in Rome. At Francis’s suggestion, Leonardo reference to Italian Renaissance classicism,
cal planning ideals. da Vinci moved to France in 1516 and lived near although the way in which they are applied hap-
Amboise until his death in 1519. The Francis I hazardly is typical of the Early Renaissance in
8.4 Château d’Azay-le-Rideau, wing at Blois (1515–19), with its famous exte- France. The interiors of the main, central block
Loire, France, 1518–27. rior stair, has three stories of classical pilasters, at Chambord are organized by an open circula-
A typical room of the château, and moldings apparently based on the interior tion space, a kind of lobby in the plan of a Greek
which could be used by the cross. A double spiral staircase at the center
inhabitants for any purpose dominates the space. Since Leonardo da Vinci
they wished. Here, a curtained was living at nearby Amboise, there has been
bed has been set up, but a speculation that he might have inspired the
table and chairs (including a stair on the basis of sketches that appear in his
folding Savonarola chair) are notebooks. Living spaces are fitted into the four
also available for the serving of corners of the square, while additional rooms,
a modest meal. The walls are stairs, and passages are fitted into the corner
covered with yellow silk. The towers and wings, making the building a com-
huge fireplace and overmantel, plex labyrinth of spaces. The interiors have been
carved in stone in the Italian stripped of their furnishings which, even when
Renaissance style, point to the the building was new, would have been moved
emergence of French Renais- to and from Paris along with the royal court. The
sance design thinking. stone details of fireplaces, doorways, coffered
ceilings, and the central stair are full of refer-
ences to Italian practice.

It is thought that Domenico da Cortona
(d. 1549) was the maker of the basic plan. He
was a pupil of Giuliano da Sangallo, who was
also in France in 1495 (Sangallo returned to
Italy while Domenico remained in France). The
French master mason Pierre Nepvau also had a
role, but how much he was architect and how
much simply a builder working under the direc-
tion of others is uncertain.

The smaller Loire-valley château of Azay-le-
Rideau (8.4; 1518–27) is the work of unidentified
designers. It is an L-shaped building with a moat
and lake surround, creating a visual composi-
tion of great charm. Its corner turrets and moat
suggest castle architecture, but its rear elevation
facing the moat is symmetrical, and the detail
of pilasters and moldings clearly belong to the
Early Renaissance. A grand stair is placed at the
center of the main wing. A fanciful entrance bay

168 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

marks its location on the front of the building, the natural tones of the wood and stone, comes 8.5 Giovanni Battista Rosso
but the projecting L-wing places that entrance from wall coverings—green in one room, yellow and Francesco Primaticcio,
near a corner of the L, making the façade asym- in another, establishing a tonality for each room. Palace of Fontainebleau,
metrical. Azay-le-Rideau is fortunate in having near Paris, before 1533.
its interiors well preserved and restored with High Renaissance
appropriate furniture and decorative details. The Gallery of Francis I was a
In a building of such size and luxury, it is sur- The turn from the tentative experiments of the simple passage-like space made
prising to note that rooms are simply lined up in French Early Renaissance to the more assured elaborate by the paneling on the
sequence on either side of the main stair, so that High or developed phase of the era came about walls with the ornately framed
each room is the access passage to the next. There with the aid of several expatriate Italians, who painting and stucco above.
was no particular effort to differentiate room modified their Italian ways to create work that This was largely the work of
functions or to provide privacy. Each of the is specifically French. Under Francis I, Francesco the Italian artist and sculp-
major rooms has a beamed wooden ceiling, stone Primaticcio (c. 1504–70) and Giovanni Battista tor Giovanni Battista Rosso,
walls covered by stretched cloth, and a large and Rosso (1494–1540), a Bolognese and a Florentine known as Rosso Fiorentino. The
richly carved fireplace mantel—probably the respectively, were put to work on the decora- beamed ceiling carries some
work of an Italian sculptor. Windows set in the tion of the Gallery of Francis I at Fontainebleau decorative detail. The floor
thick stone walls open into a space in the wall (8.5; before 1533). It is a long, narrow room with is simple wood parquet.
thickness which can be curtained to give some a beamed ceiling. The wood panels between the
privacy to the alcove. Since rooms had no fixed beams are geometrically carved, and there is a
functions, furniture could be placed in any room wood-paneled wainscot. Above the paneling,
to serve whatever function was chosen for it—a the walls are covered with a sequence of paint-
canopied bed in one room, a dining table and ings of mythological and allegorical subjects
chairs, for example, in another. Color, other than framed with stucco sculptural figures and florid

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 169

0 10 20 30 m decorative details. Strapwork—the use of bands François Mansart (1598–1666) was respon-
0 50 100 ft of relief that suggest straps of leather rolled out sible for a series of projects that define the
into patterns—appears here for the first time. character of French Renaissance work as it
8.6 Sebastiano Serlio, Ancy- developed a Baroque character during the reigns
le-Franc, Burgundy, France, The Italian architect Sebastiano Serlio (1475– of Louis XIII (r. 1610–43) and Louis XIV (r. 1643–
c. 1546. 1555) was known for his published books on 1715). The château of Balleroy in Normandy
A symmetrical square plan with architecture before his arrival in France in 1540. (c. 1626) is a symmetrical block with a taller cen-
all spaces arranged around a He was the designer of the château of Ancy- tral section flanked by lower wings. A high and
central courtyard indicates the le-Franc (8.6; begun 1546) in Burgundy. It is a prominent tiled roof with chimneys and dormers
Italian influence on the design hollow square, symmetrical on all four sides, gives the building a typically French silhouette.
of this French château. both outside and in the inner court. Classical The use of contrasting color masonry—lighter
pilasters and moldings are used with textbook for window surrounds and quoins at the
8.7 François Mansart, Châ- precision, with an entablature at each floor level. corners, darker for the intervening surfaces—
teau de Maisons, near Paris, At each corner a projecting tower block is three creates a visual character that depends less on
1642–51. stories high, while the walls between rise only classical detail than on basic proportions of solid
The plan of this symmetrically two stories. The entrance element at the center and void. The interiors also have a degree of
perfect château, which is also of each side is not strongly accented and the reserve and dignity in spite of their rich orna-
known as Maisons Laffitte, low relief of the architectural detail makes the mentation of plasterwork and  paintings that
forms a U-shape, with the walls almost flat planes, thus emphasizing the cover the wall surfaces. The Grand Salon that
rooms laid out in connecting four-square simplicity of the basic plan concept. overlooks the gardens has a bare wooden floor
sequence. Each room opens Arcades and niches elaborate the wall of the cen- made of simple planks arranged in panels, con-
from its neighbors, and there tral court. A high tiled roof with many dormers trasting with the elaborate faux marble painting
are no independent corridors and chimneys gives the building an especially of wall surfaces surrounding the paintings.
for circulation. There is a formal French character, which remained the norm
grand stair (to the right of the of French Renaissance work for more than a Mansart’s name has come to be associated
entrance hall), but all other century. Internal planning takes a step forward with the steep tile or slate roofs that so often top
stairs are tiny service elements with the introduction of passages that parallel French Renaissance buildings. Attic space was
tucked in unobtrusive corners. the rows of rooms, permitting circulation to and exempt from real-estate taxation and so was a
from the four corner stairways and around parts desirable way of maximizing interior space at
of the square without passing through some of limited expense. In America, in the Victorian
the rooms. era when such roofs became popular, they came
to be known as Mansard in recognition of their
Pierre Lescot (c. 1515–78) took a further step supposed originator. Such a roof tops Man-
in establishing the vocabulary of French Renais- sart’s famous Château de Maisons (or Maisons
sance style with his work for Francis I and Henri II Laffitte, 1642–51) outside Paris (8.7 and 8.8). A
(r. 1547–59) at the Louvre in Paris. His design for U-shaped block, one room deep with high roofs,
one side of the square court (begun 1546), with chimneys, and dormers, its white stone exterior
two stories and an attic, was a florid version of is detailed with classical architectural trim,
classicism that became highly influential. pilasters, moldings, and pediments. A grand
stair, all in white, richly carved marble, leads
up to a sequence of rooms, each opening into
the next, each an elaborate but chilly display
piece. While such aristocratic interiors may
seem overbearing in their richness, the smaller
houses (mostly eighteenth-century) built by
powerful and wealthy families, the so-called
hôtels of Paris and a few other French cities,
with their Rococo interiors, follow parallel sty-
listic trends on a more modest scale.

Royal favor was the source of power and
wealth and those who had access to it wanted to
live in circumstances that recalled royal living
style in interior decoration and furniture. The
Hôtel de Carnevalet in Paris (1655, now the City
Museum), also by François Mansart, is a good

170 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

8.8 François Mansart, Grande
Salle, Château de Maisons,
1642–51.
Elegantly correct classicism de-
fines the formal entrance hall of
this château. The Roman Doric
columns and related detail
show a degree of restraint re-
lieved by the ornamental ceiling
and sculptured bird above. The
color is white throughout.

8.9 Salon, Paris hôtel, Île
St. Louis, Paris, eighteenth
century.
An elegant interior with sub-
dued Rococo ornamentation
and color. The harpsichord at
the right has an ornamented
leg base and painted imagery
on its side and on the interior
of the lid.

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 171

8.10 (above) Louis Le Vau, example. Although its interiors have been sub- facing the court. Nearby, on the Ile St. Louis, the
Vaux-le-Vicomte, Melun; inte- jected to various renovations and redecorations, Hôtel Lambert (8.9; begun 1640) was an early
riors by Charles Lebrun, 1656. they highlight the way in which the grandiosity but major work of Louis Le Vau (1612–70), a key
of royal interiors was adapted to the lifestyles of figure in the development of French architecture
This bedroom was intended for the aristocracy. and decoration. It has a grand stair in the space
the king should he make a visit. behind its main façade at the rear of a square
The canopied bed stands in an The Hôtel de Sully (c. 1630–40), on the Rue court. From the top of the stair there extends
alcove area fenced off from the St.  Antoine in Paris, was probably designed a sequence of formal rooms—rectangular, oct-
room by a railing, thereby estab- by Jean du Cerceau. Using a favorite plan, the agonal, oval, and, in one case, a long and narrow
lishing privacy. The elaborate entrance from the street is a gateway opening gallery. Each room opens into the next except
detail of the opening frame, the on a forecourt between twin buildings on either where small stairs and passages provide for some
painted and sculpted ceiling, and side that house stables, carriage house, kitchens, private circulation around bedrooms and for the
ornate chandeliers expressed and service quarters, with the main house façade use of servants. Some of the rooms have survived
the symbolic status of the king. unchanged, their rich gilded plaster decoration
surrounding paintings by various artists. The
8.11 (right) Ground plan of paintings provide the fanciful names given to the
Vaux-le-Vicomte, Melun, 1656. rooms: Cabinet de l’Amour or Cabinet des Muses.
The painter Charles Lebrun (1619–90) worked
The ground plan of the château with Le Vau here, and the two men collaborated
shows the oval salon that in several later important projects
bulges from the garden front of
the building and forms a focus The spectacular château of Vaux-le-Vicomte,
for the various rooms of the at the south edge of Paris (8.10 and 8.11; 1656),
interior. Elegant ceremonial was designed by Le Vau for Louis XIV’s Minister
bedrooms open in sequence, of Finance, Nicolas Fouquet. It is set in vast gar-
but there is no provision for dens, planned with geometric order by André Le
private circulation. Stairs con- Nôtre (1613–1700), whose work established the
necting levels are in unobtru- French approach to landscape design. The châ-
sive secondary locations. teau has a bulging oval central bay that houses
a salon, the windows of which overlook the
garden. Its mirrored doors opposite are arched
and set between Corinthian pilasters. Above a
classic entablature and below the ceiling dome,
an upper level of windows is surrounded by
sculptured plaster figures and ornamental
garlands. The sequence of rooms includes an
overwhelmingly rich bedroom intended for
the king, should he choose to visit, and special-
purpose rooms for dressing and bathing—even
a billiard room for the game that had become
popular as an aristocratic pastime. Vaux-le-
Vicomte’s interiors have survived with little
change—even the kitchens are intact—to pro-
vide a particularly fine display of interior design
in the time of Louis XIV. On Louis’ first visit to
the château, he was impressed with its beauty
and its obvious cost. Investigations that fol-
lowed led to the removal of its owner (to prison),
and the transfer of the designers, Le Vau,
Lebrun, and Le Nôtre to Versailles, where they
were put to work transforming the royal palace.
The oval exterior form and the vast extent of gar-
dens with long vistas, waterways, and fountains
at Vaux-le-Vicomte established the Baroque
qualities of French landscape planning.

172 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

Baroque stucco decoration, painted walls, paneling and 8.12 (right) Chambre du Roi
ceilings, and furniture of gilded bronze or silver Louis XIV, Versailles Palace,
Since work in the Louis XIV style comes from were designed by Le Vau and Lebrun. In 1670, near Paris, France, c. 1701.
the latter part of the Renaissance in France, it shortly after Le Vau’s death, a second phase of
is often designated as Baroque. In fact, French elaboration was undertaken by Jules Hardouin- Sumptuously decorated with
design never moved to the extremes of complex- Mansart (1646–1708), a nephew of François gold- and silver-threaded
ity and elaboration that characterize the Baroque Mansart. He was responsible for the structure crimson brocade and paintings
work of Italy, south Germany, and Austria. Even of the great gallery overlooking the gardens, by Baroque masters, this room,
at its most rich and heavily decorated, there is a the Galerie des Glaces (8.13), where mirrors on which faced the rising sun, is
certain reserve, an emphasis on logic and order, the inner wall face the windows that overlook where Louis rose and retired,
that makes it possible to argue that France simply the garden. Lebrun’s painted ceiling and gilt and where he died in 1715.
skipped the mannerist and Baroque phases of and marble architectural trim generate a room A gilded balustrade separates
the Renaissance and moved directly from the of spectacular grandeur in spite of its somewhat the sleeping alcove from the
High Renaissance into the Rococo and Neoclas- unimaginative, even monotonous concept and area where the courtiers gath-
sic phases that followed. Whatever terminology detail. The adjacent anterooms, the Salon de la ered for royal audiences.
is used, it is certain that such vast projects as the Guerre and the symmetrically matching Salon de
palace and gardens at Versailles, and the related la Paix, each have a huge oval decorative panel
replanning of the whole town with radiating above a lavish fireplace and mantel. The rooms
roadways focusing on the palace itself, dem- are rich with gilt, marble, paintings, mirrors, and
onstrate a Baroque love of grandeur used as a tool chandeliers. They are, like the other seemingly
for the glorification of the king. endless formal rooms of the palace, showcases
for the extremes of splendor that the style of
Versailles Louis XIV produced. Among the more interest-
ing spaces in the vast wings added to the palace
At Versailles, the Sun King commissioned the by Hardouin-Mansart are the royal chapel (8.1;
creation of a setting that would justify his self- begun 1689) and the theater or small opera house
ordained status as the leader of victorious armies, known as the “Entertainments Room.” The tall
the world’s most powerful figure. Interiors were central space of the chapel is surrounded by
of staggering opulence. Marble walls and floors,

8.13 (left) Louis Le Vau and Ju-
les Hardouin-Mansart, Galerie
des Glaces, Château
of Versailles, from 1679.

Charles Lebrun was the prime
designer of the interior detail
of the Galerie des Glaces (Hall
of Mirrors). The simple basic
design of this huge gallery was
given its elaborate character
by the many mirrors along one
wall, which reflect the views
of the garden through the
windows opposite and, at
night, the light of innumer-
able candles. Richly colored
marble and gilded plasterwork
detail enrich the walls, while
the barrel-vaulted ceiling was
painted by Lebrun in flame-
colored and amber tones, with
elaborate allegorical scenes
celebrating the early years
of the reign of Louis XIV. The
floor is of patterned wooden
parquet.

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 173

174 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

INSIGHTS

Louis XIV and Versailles The Queen has only two rooms . . . a bedchamber
and a drawing room—in the first she sleeps, dresses,
Louis XIV, the Sun King of France, created a palace at prays, chats, sees her Sister or any other person who
Versailles that was the wonder of all who saw it. The is admitted to privacy. She has no room for solitude,
Duc de Saint Simon, a courtier, recorded amusingly nor even a Closet to put her Close Stoole [chamber
and pithily in his memoirs what life was like there: pot] in which always stands by her bedside.4

Louis XIV was made for a brilliant Court. In the Another Versailles courtier, Mme Roland wrote along
midst of other men his figure, his courage, his similar lines in the 1770s:
grace, his beauty, his grand mien . . . distinguished
him till his death, as the King Bee . . . .1 Mme Legrand, one of the Dauphin’s ladies . . . lent
us her apartment. It was under the tiles [roof slates]
Towards women his politeness was without parallel. opening out on to the same corridor as those of
Never did he pass the humblest petticoat without the Archbishop of Paris, and so close to his that
raising his hat; even to chambermaids that he knew the prelate had to be careful lest we should hear
to be such . . . . He treated his valets well, above all his talking, and the same applied to us. There were
those of the household. It was amongst them that two rooms, meanly furnished . . .with an approach
he felt most at ease . . . .2 rendered horrible by the darkness of the passage
and the smell of the latrines.5
His own apartments, and those of the Queen, are
inconvenient to the last degree, dull, close, stinking 1. Memoirs of the Duc de Saint-Simon on the Reign of Louis XIV and the
. . . . I might never finish upon the monstrous defects Regency, trs. Bayle St. John (London, 1926), p. 216; 2. Ibid, p. 229; 3. Ibid,
of a palace so immense and so immensely dear.3 p. 272; 4. Quoted in M. L. Kekewich, Princes and People 1620–1714:
Anthology of Primary Sources (Manchester, 1994), p. 173; 5. Quoted in
Mrs Thrale, a visitor to Versailles in the reign of Evelyn Farr, Before the Deluge: Parisian Society in the Reign of Louis XVI
Louis XVI, made the same observation: (London, 1994), pp. 25–6.

an arcade at the lower level and a colonnade of was given first performances here, as well as in
Corinthian columns at the level of a balcony. the theater which was not completed until 1770,
There is a clerestory at the level of the painted, during the reign of Louis XV.
vaulted ceiling above, and windows at each level
that flood the space with light. With the largely Louvre
white and gold color, the space is remarkably
bright. The gilded organ case at the gallery level At the Louvre in Paris (8.14), Louis XIV aimed
above the altar is a reminder that the music of to achieve a city palace comparable to Versailles
such composers as Rameau, Lully, and Couperin through extensions and renovation of the exist-
ing and somewhat diverse conglomeration of

8.14 Louis Le Vau and Charles
Lebrun, Galerie d’Apollon,
Palace of the Louvre, Paris,
after 1661–2.

The long gallery, of which one
end is shown here, has a barrel-
vaulted ceiling covered with
sculptural and painted decora-
tion celebrating legends of the
sun god Apollo—the reference
to Louis as Sun King is obvious.
Lebrun recruited
a number of artists to work
under his direction to produce
the many images required.
The room was left unfinished
when Louis abandoned the
development of the Louvre in
favor of Versailles. The walls
were decorated in a related
style, following Lebrun’s de-
signs, by Eugène Delacroix with
many paintings and much gilt.

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 175

8.15 Jacques Lemercier and
François Mansart, Church of
Val-de-Grâce, Paris, 1645–67.

In this French Baroque church,
the chapel of a great hospital,
a spectacular baldacchino
above the altar challenges
the magnificence of that in
St. Peter’s, Rome. Bernini
provided the design during his
stay in Paris, and the six twisted
Corinthian columns were the
work (c. 1658) of the sculptor
Gabriel Le Duc.

pavilions. Rooms such as Lebrun’s Galerie d’Ap- is more strictly classical than the earlier work of
ollon (begun 1662), a long, barrel-vaulted room Louis XIV’s era and indicates a turn away from
with sculptured and painted decoration (a fore- Baroque ostentation to the increasingly reserved
runner to the Galerie des Glaces at Versailles), Neoclassicism that was to follow.
brought the interiors up to royal standards.
Bernini was summoned from Italy to prepare Baroque Churches
designs for a renovation that would convert the
exterior to a suitably Baroque structure. His three Aside from royal building projects, the age of
successive attempts were each found “too Ital- Louis XIV produced churches in which Roman
ian”—too much like the palaces of Rome—and so architectural style was recreated in French
failed to please the king. In 1665 Bernini returned terms. Among them are the church for the Sor-
to Italy, leaving it to Claude Perrault (1613–88), bonne (1635–42) in Paris by Jacques Lemercier
a doctor and amateur architect, to provide the (1585–1684). This has a plan symmetrical about
de-sign that was finally built in 1667–70 as the two axes to emphasize two major entrances, one
east façade of the Louvre, often called the “New from the street and the other from within the col-
Louvre.” It has a simple base with a long colon- lege. The similarly domed church of the hospital
nade of paired Corinthian free-standing columns of Val-de-Grâce (8.15) in Paris (begun 1645) was
above. This forms a kind of loggia on either side by François Mansart and Jacques Lemercier.
of a pedimented entrance element with pila- During his stay in Paris, Bernini prepared the
stered, slightly projecting end wings. The effect design for the baldacchino at Val-de-Grâce. It is
not unlike the huge baldacchino at St. Peter’s in

176 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

8.16 Jules Hardouin-Mansart
and Libéral Bruant, Church
of Les Invalides, Paris,
1677–1706.

The church that forms the
central element of Les Invalides
has a tall central space topped
with a great dome, the work of
Hardouin-Mansart. The interior
is of gray stone, except for
painted panels with gilded edg-
ing and the painting and
gilt of the dome interior. The
windows high up in the drum
below the dome light the space
with dramatic effects of light
and shadow.

Rome, but has six twisted Corinthian columns Baroque. The somewhat overbearing grandeur of
(two more than Rome), each topped with a gilded the space has made it an ideal setting for Napo-
figure of an angel. The most spectacular and leon’s monumental tomb, which is now placed
best known of these Parisian domed churches below the floor in a central well. The design of
is S. Louis des Invalides (8.16; 1677–1706)—the these churches leads French classicism toward
church, now the tomb of Napoleon, attached to the later S. Geneviève (see below).
the vast hospital and home for disabled veterans
by Hardouin-Mansart. The central space, far Furniture and Furnishings
higher than it is wide, is topped by a dome with
an inner shell that is open at the top, permitting Furniture made to suit the interiors of Louis XIV
a view up to a painted upper shell that receives palaces and town houses shared the giant scale,
light from windows that cannot be seen from heaviness of structure, and rich ornamentation
the main floor below, and creating a dramatic that characterized the architecture and interior
effect of space and light that can be called truly design of the period. Oak and walnut were the
usual woods, but inlays and applied decorative

8.17 Louis XIV salon, Château Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 177
de Chenonceau, Loire region,
France, sixteenth to seven- trim used exotic woods such as tulip and
teenth centuries. zebrawood, Marquetry, gilding, and silver.
Chairs tended to be square and massive, with
These examples of Louis XIV arms, seats, and backs upholstered (8.17 and
chairs, broad and stately, stand 8.18). André-Charles Boulle (1642–1732) was a
on either side of the Francis I favorite cabinetmaker to Louis XIV. He special-
fireplace and overmantel and ized in the design and making of Armoires
underneath the painting in this (large door-front cabinets that served the func-
famous Loire château. tions of closets) and Commodes (table height
storage units with drawers, invariably decorated
8.18 (below left) Louis XIV wal- with inlaid ornament in marquetry often using
nut armchair with its original ivory, shell, brass, pewter, and silver; 8.19);
upholstery, France, tops were often of richly colorful marble. Boulle
c. 1660–80. also became known for the use of Ormolu, a

The Louis XIV style represented
by this chair came to dominate
throughout Europe during the
seventeenth century.

8.19 (below right) André-
Charles Boulle, Tortoise-shell
commode with brass marque-
try, France
c.1710-1732.

Boulle, the leading ébeniste of
his era and royal cabinetmaker
to Louis XIV, perfected the
technique of tortoise-shell and
brass marquetry that bears his
name. This piece is notable for
its winged-figure corner mounts.

178 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

technique for gilding bronze ornament that was 8.20 Musical clock,
then attached to the corners and edges of furni- France, 1756.
ture. Mercury was heated to plate the gilt onto
the cast bronze trim—a process that generated The clock became a favorite
poisonous fumes with disastrous results to the ornamental element in aristo-
workers using it. The fact that it was costly in cratic interiors of the eighteenth
human lives as well as materials probably added century. This example in gilded
to its role as an element of status display. Boulle’s bronze is elaborately sculptured
workshops were continued by his four sons and in Rococo taste with only its
the term Boulle has come to be identified with simple white enameled face
his style of work. to suggest its basic func-
tion. The clockmaker Michel
Along with this heavy and elaborate fur- Stollewerke provided the
niture, smaller objects followed parallel mechanism within, similar
stylistic directions. Lighting came from chan- to a music box, that marked
deliers using metal, carved wood, and crystal in the hours by playing tunes.
various combinations. Complex candle stands
were of various types—Gueridons, cande- Regency to Rococo
labra, and Torchiers. Mirrors were made in
various sizes, with carved and gilded frames Between the death of Louis XIV in 1715 and the
similar to the richly ornamental frames used beginning of the reign of Louis  XV when he
for paintings. Small mirrors were often placed came of age in 1723, there intervened a regency
in decorative frames with candle brackets on which gave the name Régence to the decorative
either side forming an illuminated looking styles that are transitional between the more
glass called a Girandole. Clocks, valued more clearly defined periods of Louis XIV and XV. In
for ornament and the status they implied than general, the work of the Régence is less heavy,
for timekeeping (8.20), were favorite elaborate clumsy, and overbearing than that of the earlier
centerpieces on mantels, along with statu- period. Curving forms became more common-
ary (often busts on pedestals) and ornamental place; for example, the gently S-curved leg
vases. The harpsichord was developed to a shape called Cabriole came into use. The artist-
peak of technical excellence by makers such as designer Juste-Aurèle Meissonier (1695–1750)
Blanchet, Stehlin, and Pascal Taskin (1723–93). published more than a hundred engravings
Their exteriors reflected the furniture styles of showing wall panel decorations, candlesticks,
the time, and they often had fine paintings on and furniture designs that make use of flowing
the underside of the lid. curves, asymmetric ornament, and details based
on the natural forms of shells and foliage. His
Colors tended to be strong: bright reds, greens, work was a key influence on the design of the
and violets, along with gilded trim in as great Régence and the periods that followed.
profusion as could be afforded. The importing of
Chinese wallpapers began at this time and gradu- The style of Louis XV (r. 1723–74) is usually
ally became a favorite element for rooms, giving identified with the term Rococo, which describes
them an oriental, exotic flavor. Tapestries, espe- the decorative style that characterized the later
cially those from the Gobelins workshops, were phases of French classicism. Régence design
favorite wall hangings, while Aubusson and became more delicate, light, and florid, with
Savonnerie carpets of woven wool sometimes flowing curves. It developed most strongly in the
covered floors that were otherwise bare parquetry, design of interiors and the associated elements
stone, or marble, usually in simple, geometric pat- of furniture and related decorative arts. Archi-
terns. Since much of the movable furnishings of tecture of the Louis XV era moved from Baroque
this era has been dispersed, replaced by later ren-
ovation, or removed (even destroyed) at the time
of the French Revolution, the best information
on the character of complete interiors of the day
comes from artists’ illustrations. The engravings
of Abraham Bosse, for example, depict various
events taking place in the richly furnished rooms
found in upper-class homes.

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 179

8.21 (above) Cross-sectional exuberance toward a more restrained classi- in Paris as a forecourt of oval shape, with ser-
engraving of the interior of cism, finally deserving the stylistic designation vices fitted around it at the front and side, and
the Château de Petit-Bourg, Neoclassical, while rooms within can better with the curved façade of the house proper at
France, eighteenth century. be described as Rococo. French Rococo design the rear. Rooms of unusual shape, such as a pen-
was quickly imported and imitated in Austria tagonal anteroom and stair hall, are neatly fitted
The salon on the first floor of this and Germany and had considerable influence into an ingenious plan that provides for conven-
luxurious house has rich Rococo in England as well. François Cuvilliés was a key ience and privacy. In 1735 Boffrand designed
detailing, including paintings, a figure in carrying the style eastward. His work in an oval salon that was inserted into the earlier
fine mantel, and even a small Munich, such as the Amalienburg Palace Pavil- Hôtel de Soubise (8.22). Windows, doors, mir-
fountain to the right of the chim- ion, is a masterpiece of French Rococo in spite of rors, and paintings are surrounded by gilded
ney breast. On the second floor, its German location. Rococo ornament applied to white paneled
the level of principal bedrooms, walls and a pale blue ceiling. The basic shape of
the paneled detail is simple Paris Hôtels the room is simple, but the filigree of sculptured
except for carving above the and gilded cupids disporting on floral and shell
door. On the third level, inside Military losses in wars with England led to finan- ornament, along with a huge central crystal
the mansard roof, bare rooms cial constraints on royal building projects. With chandelier, all repeated in kaleidoscopic fashion
and shelves for storage indicate such vast projects as the palaces at Versailles by the mirrors on the walls, makes this an aston-
the territory of children and serv- and the Louvre and the domed churches such as ishing display of Rococo virtuosity.
ants. The basement chambers those of Hardouin-Mansart complete, the time
are stone vaulted. of Louis XV was more concerned with modest The Petit Trianon
design of town houses, smaller royal projects,
8.22 (above right) Gabriel- and the completion and renovation of interiors To the north side of the gardens of Versailles,
Germaine Boffrand and in the more delicate Rococo style. In Paris, many the small palace called the Petit Trianon (8.23)
Charles-Joseph Natoire, large houses built by wealthy and powerful was built in 1762–8 to the designs of Ange-
Salon de la Princesse, Hôtel families under royal patronage are interestingly Jacques Gabriel (1698–1782). It was intended
de Soubise, Paris, 1735. varied in plan and generally richly decorated as a modest house, where members of the royal
in Rococo style. Comfort became a major issue family could escape from the pomp and ostenta-
The oval room, known as the in the discreet private living accommodation tion of Versailles. Externally, the four similar but
Salon de la Princesse (Princess’s enjoyed by the élite (8.21). subtly different façades relate to the surrounding
Hall), contains elaborate Rococo gardens and reflect its plan. Three of the façades,
details, mirrors, and paintings Gabriel-Germaine Boffrand (1667–1754), a each with four Corinthian columns (or pilasters),
by Natoire (1700–77). An orna- pupil of Mansart, planned the Hôtel d’Amelot
mental clock is placed on
a marble mantel. White plaster
cupids cling to the gilded
ornamental detail at the edges
of the ceiling, and a crystal orna-
mented chandelier hangs in the
center of the room. The ceiling is
blue but the walls
are paneled in white.

180 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 8.23 Ange-Jacques Gabriel,
bedchamber of Marie Antoi-
are composed with elegant simplicity controlled nette, Petit Trianon, Versailles,
by a system of geometric proportions based on 1762–8.
the Golden mean. Within, the spaces are superb The low-ceilinged room fitted
examples of the Rococo style at its best. The stair into a mezzanine level of the
hall is a simple square lined with cream-white Petit Trianon, which became
stone. Florid detail is restricted to the metalwork a favorite retreat for the queen.
of the iron stair rails, with gilded monogram Simple paneling painted in
inserts and a hanging candle lantern-chandelier. a pastel tone sets off the case-
The living spaces (8.24) are each paneled in wood ment windows, which gave a
painted in soft, pastel colors with restrained sur- view over the gardens. The fur-
face ornamentation in white and gold. Simple niture, with its relatively simple
mantels with mirrors above are flanked by wall neoclassical forms, is typical of
bracket candle holders. Two dining rooms, the era of Louis XVI.
one larger and one smaller, each have circular ele-
ments centered in the parquet floors that were 8.24 Anges-Jacques Gabriel,
originally elevators arranged to lower the dining salon, Petit Trianon, Versailles,
table into service areas below, where servants near Paris, 1762–8.
could clear the table and set out the next course The delicate carved wall
without intruding on the privacy of the royal decoration and the details of
party by entering the dining rooms. The bed- the fireplace, mirror, and candle
room that was occupied by Marie Antoinette is a holders typify the restraint of
small room on a mezzanine floor. It is an elegant Rococo interiors of the era
example of the Rococo, both simple and rich; its of Louis XVI.
paneled walls are painted in pale gray with white
and gold carved detail, while the marble fire-
place surround with mirror above and curtained
bed, chairs, and drapery are all in related golden
yellow colors. Much of the interior detail in
the Petit Trianon is the work of Richard Mique
(1728–94) who became a royal favorite after

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 181

8.25 (above) M. Roubo, “Le the  death of Louis  XV. The Petit Trianon may usually, a loose seat cushion. The Canapé was a
Menuisier en meubles,” Vol. 3, be  regarded as the peak expression of French small upholstered sofa, and the Chaise longue
Part II of Description des arts Rococo design, while also beginning to turn was an upholstered chair with an extended seat
et métiers, 1772. toward Neoclassicism. for lounging: both furniture types developed in
response to a new concern for informality and
This page from a textbook on Regency and Rococo Furniture comfort (8.27). More varied storage furniture
furniture-making shows the de- was also developed, along with various types
tails of construction for a typical The furniture of the Louis XV period follows the of writing tables and desks. The Drop-leaf and
French chair of the French patterns developed during the Régence. Along Rolltop (Bureau à cylindre) desk were devel-
Rococo, from about 1750. with the introduction of curving forms, a new oped in response to functional needs.
interest in comfort developed in such types as
8.26 (above right) Jean Gour- the Fauteuil, an armchair with upholstered seat Rococo to Neoclassicism
din, gilt-wood armchair, after and back and open padded arms (8.25 and 8.26).
a design attributed to Nicolas The Bergère was a somewhat larger armchair Under Louis XVI (r. 1774–92), Rococo design
and Dominique Pineau, c. that had enclosed and upholstered arms and, survived in combination with a further move
1715, France. toward the more academic reserve of Neoclas-
sicism. Gabriel’s work at Versailles (including
This armchair of the Régence the theater-opera house) and the well-known
already has the lighter design twin façades facing the Place de Louis XV in
and gilt and curving forms that Paris (now the Place de la Concorde) are typical.
would come into full flower in Speculative real-estate developments, such as
the course of the long reign Jules Hardouin-Mansart’s 1690 Place Vendôme,
of Louis XV. The arm rests its buildings around a great central square, pro-
have already been set back to vided elegant living apartments for the affluent.
accommodate the enormous Behind such elegantly classical fronts, various
skirts that came into fashion buildings are placed with no special regard for
for women during the eight-
eenth century.

8.27 (right) Lit à la turque,
France, c. 1765–70.

Couches that invited reclining
became favorite objects for
the rooms of the homes of
the wealthy and aristocratic.

182 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

the formal façade. Inside, rooms were often tions at Pompeii and Herculaneum (beginning 8.28 François-Joseph
richly decorated and redecorated according to in  1738) spread. Even ancient Greek design Bélanger, Hôtel Baudard de
changing fashion (8.28). Rococo rooms of simple began to be known, so that Greek ornamental Saint-James, Place Vendôme,
shape with paneling in quiet, pastel colors and details were introduced to further the connec- Paris, c. 1775–80.
surface ornamentation of carved curvilinear tion with ancient classicism. Window draperies,
ornament were typical. The furniture of the previously rare, became increasingly common; The grand salon of a palatial
Louis XVI era takes on a more rectilinear and colors included crimson and golden yellow, Paris house has been
geometric quality than its predecessors. Mahog- often with trimmings of fringe and tassels. The decorated with white paint and
any became increasingly popular. Carved and Revolution of 1789 put an end to period styles gilding, mirrors, and paintings in
gilded detail is typical, but the carving tends based on royal patronage and encouragement, the ceiling. The rondels over the
toward parallel bands of molding, Fluting, or although a number of politically agile architects doors, an ornamental fireplace
Reeding, while a new awareness of ancient and designers managed to survive and resume mantel, and chandeliers com-
design developed as knowledge of the excava- their careers in the post-revolutionary climate. plete the image of fashionable
luxury. The parquet floor in-
cludes a central sunburst motif.
An elaborate mantel clock is a
small but suitable focal point.

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 183

8.29 Charles Percier and The post-revolutionary style called Direc-
Pierre-François-Léonard Fon- toire (named for the form of government that
taine, design for a room in 1794 followed the Reign of Terror) was devel-
in the Château de Malmaison, oped under the influence of Georges Jacob
Paris, 1801. (1730–1814), who had been a cabinetmaker with
commissions from the court of Louis XVI. His
In a publication of their works, designs follow the general style of the Louis XVI
the famous interior designers period, but attempt a more austere classicism,
Percier and Fontaine show with rather stiff forms and straight lines and
a room suggestive of an elabo- details based on Greek and Egyptian prece-
rate tented interior, with various dents. Ornamental details are intended to make
warlike trophies as decoration reference to the Revolution: the French tricolor,
in the Empire style to honor the clasped hands, swords, and spears are common
achievements motifs. When Napoleon  I came to power in
of Napoleon. 1799, such references increased in popular-
ity, creating a sub-period sometimes identified
as the Consulate style. Egyptian motifs and qualities of their work. At the palace of Fontaine-
military elements that could be identified with bleau, suites of rooms were redesigned by Percier
Napoleon’s campaigns in Egypt often appeared. and Fontaine in the Napoleonic fashion. Pom-
Window drapery and drapery covering wall peian red walls, gilded trim, mirrors, and black
surfaces came into increasing use, with striped and gold furniture outfit the room called the
silks and brocades arranged with valances and Cabinet de l’Abdication. A room with a semicir-
trimmings to suggest spears and lances. Tables cular end and walls of green and gold silk held by
with metal tripod bases and marble tops were vertical golden rods, it was designed as a work-
made to imitate ancient Roman designs and sug- room for the emperor himself. At the Château
gested Roman military power. de Malmaison near Paris (8.29), they under-
took a redesign of interiors in order to create a
The Empire Style setting for the occupancy of Napoleon’s wife,
Josephine, that would make her husband’s role,
The Directoire and Consulate styles precede status, and character apparent in every detail
the  Empire style, which took its name from of every room. A bedroom at Malmaison was
the  self-proclaimed elevation of Napoleon  I designed to suggest a luxurious tent interior of
to emperor status in 1804. The partnership of the sort that Napoleon might have occupied on
Charles Percier (1764–1838) and Pierre-François- a battlefield. The tent theme led to frequent use
Léonard Fontaine (1762–1853), who had met of loosely draped fabric along walls and around
as architectural students in Paris and Rome, beds. The Lit en bateau, a large bed surrounded
led architecture and interior design under the by a virtual tent of fabric, was a favored furni-
emperor’s patronage. They are often thought ture type. Detail based on the classical orders is
of as the first professional “interior designers” rare in Empire design, although the library at
in  the modern sense. Previous interiors were Malmaison has Doric columns of polished light
generated by architects, artists, and craftsmen mahogany which appear to support the flat
whose work came together through coopera- domes of the ceiling. Dignified furniture was
tion rather than under unified direction. Percier often finished in black with gilded details such
and Fontaine conceived of interior spaces devel- as carved eagles and Fasces, the bundled sticks
oped under their full control in the manner of that were the symbol of power of the Roman
modern interior designers. Publication of albums emperors. A gold N initial appears everywhere
of illustrations of their designs made their work as a reminder of the emperor’s identity. The rich
widely known not only in France but in Ger- red considered to be Pompeian was a favorite
many, England, and other European countries, color, along with black and gold. Jacquard’s
and furthered the popularity and imitation of invention in 1801 of the mechanical pattern-
the Empire style. Fascination with Pompeian weaving loom  made possible the quantity
themes, the introduction of military and impe- production of damasks and velvets with motifs
rial references, and an intention to blend luxury such as wreaths, rosettes, or the bee, a symbol
with a sense of sternness and rigor are the typical chosen by Napoleon as his own. Background
colors were deep brown, green, and dark red;
the small pattern elements were in bright colors.
The invention of cylinder printing techniques
led to an increase in the production and use
of wallpapers, usually with patterns similar

184 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

to those used for textiles. Scenic wallpapers also 8.30 Jacques-Germain Souf-
came into use, sometimes with groups of figures flot, Church of S. Geneviève
and architectural or landscape views that resem- (Panthéon), Paris, 1756–89.
bled fresco painting. Printed paper borders were
also used in much the manner of architectural Originally built as a church, af-
trim moldings. ter the Revolution this massive
monument was converted to a
In spite of political changes reflected in suc- pantheon, honoring the great
cessive period names, there is a strong stylistic of French history. Soufflot had
continuity in the Neoclassical theme that flows ancient Roman and British clas-
through work of the Louis XVI, Directoire, and sicism in mind as precedents
Empire periods. The great domed church of for the domed interior. The plan
S. Geneviève in Paris (8.30; 1756–89), designed is a Greek cross, with ambu-
by Jacques-Germain Soufflot (1713–80) and latories all around. There is a
built as a royal project, became, after the Revolu- high dome at the crossing and
tion, the Panthéon, a secular hall honoring great lower saucer domes over each
men. The pedimented façade and high dome and arm of the plan. The marble
the cold magnificence of the interior became a patterned floor, paintings in
model for subsequent Neoclassical building. the pendentives of the domed
center, and statuary groups
Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (1736–1806) worked support the current function as
under royal patronage, avoided execution a monument.
during the Revolution, and became an exponent
of a highly personal type of Neoclassicism that A striking example of post-revolutionary
guided his designs for thirty-seven toll houses Empire architecture is the church of the Madel-
for the gates of Paris (1785–9). Only four have eine (1804–49) in Paris, a focal point at the end
survived (including the circular Barrière de of the Rue Royale, the grand avenue that begins
la Villette) but his influence, extended by the at the Place de la Concorde and passes between
1804 publication of his designs, has remained
and has attracted strong interest in recent years.
His approach to interior design can be studied
in the detailed engravings that show the mag-
nificently Neoclassical interiors for the theater
at Besançon (1775–84).

Charles Percier and Pierre-François- INSIGHTS
Léonard Fontaine: The Empire Style
the structure and decoration are closely connected;
The redecoration of the house of banker M. Récamier and if they cease to appear to be so there is a
by French architects Charles Percier and Pierre- defect in the whole . . . . [F]urniture is too much a
François-Léonard Fontaine gave birth to a new style part of interior design for the architect to remain
in France entirely suited to the warlike nature of the indifferent to it.2
times and the taste of Napoleon I. At the Château
de Malmaison, Napoleon gave the architects carte The Empire style did not find favor with everyone.
blanche to design as they wished. Fontaine described Mme de Genlis, an acid commentator on all things
the military-style decoration designed for the Council modern, criticized the craze for chaises longues that
Chamber at Malmaison: had been initiated by Mme Récamier:

It seems suitable to adopt . . . the form of a tent ladies should cover their feet when reclining.
supported by pikes, fasces and standards, between Decency demands it because, stretched out like
[which] hang trophies of weapons, recalling those that, the smallest movement may uncover the feet
used by the most famous warlike people in the and even the legs. Besides a pretty couvre pieds
world.1 [foot-cover] is a very decorative ornament—people
do without them these days, but nothing looks so
The precision of the decorative effects displayed the sloppy.3
architects’ concern for keeping strict control over all
aspects of interior design and furnishings: 1. Percier and Fontaine, Recueil des décorations intérieurs, 1812, quoted
in Joanna Banham ed., Encyclopedia of Interior Design, vol. 2 (Chicago,
1997), p. 942; 2. Ibid; 3. Mme de Genlis, Memoires, 1818

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 185

8.31 Pierre de la Mésangère,
renderings of Empire furniture,
1807–8.
For four decades of the
early 19th century, Mesangere
published a series Meubles et
Objects du Gout (Furniture and
Objects of Taste), depicting the
most fashionable styles of the
era in hand-colored etchings.
The designs in this image have
the distinctive rectilinear forms
of the Empire period, as well as
classical ornament and strong
colors, rejecting the subtlety
in the earlier classicism of the
Louis XVI era.

8.32 François-Honoré-Georges
Jacob-Desmalter, Empire
commode, acacia, marble,
gilt-bronze, c. 1810.
The strong lines, overscale
form, and expanse of ma-
hogany veneer (rather
than decorative marquetry) are
typical of the period, as are the
classical mounts with military
elements that recognize Napo-
leon’s exploits.

the twin façades by Gabriel. The church, a work Provincial Style
of Alexandre-Pierre Vignon (1762–1828), was
designed with the intention of reproducing a While styles of French Renaissance interior
Roman peripteral Corinthian temple. Its interior design developed in the service of the power-
is a Corinthian hall topped by three flat domes ful and wealthy, citizens of modest means had
on pendentives with oculus windows. Although to make do with rooms and with furniture that
no such ancient Roman interior has survived, continued the functional craft traditions of the
the space has the rather chilling effect of Middle Ages. When a bourgeois middle class
neo-Roman imperial grandeur—no doubt to of merchants, craftsmen, and professionals began
Napoleon’s taste. to emerge in the seventeenth and eighteenth

186 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

centuries there were an increasing number of example). A large storage cabinet with double
householders who wanted, and who could afford, doors, the armoire, was an important display
a rising level of comfort and luxury. It is not sur- piece that usually suggested Rococo design
prising that awareness of the elegance that was in its carved details. Metal hardware, such
enjoyed in châteaux and palaces began to create as hinges and escutcheons around keyholes,
a taste for something similar, even if on a more added decorative detail. Chairs were usually
modest scale. As the makers of furniture, textiles, small and simple: ladder backs, rush seats, and
and all sorts of household goods became aware tied-on cushions were commonplace. Chairs
of this demand, they began to develop products with some upholstery in seat and back followed
designed to satisfy it. A “filter-down” effect, in the form of  high style examples but with a
which the high styles of an élite influence the simplifica-tion of the detailing. As clock mecha-
larger public, is a well-recognized pattern in nisms became affordable, tall clocks with wood
the history of taste—a pattern that continues cases in carved, Rococo form became important
in the present. In France it was the impetus for display and status possessions.
the development of the style now called French
Provincial, which became popular in modern Furniture made in the popular Biedermeier
imitation. The term “provincial” implies a rural, style in early nineteenth-century Germany
country style, but Provincial furniture became combined the Neoclassical direction of Empire
the norm of both country and town dwellings design with forms borrowed from German peas-
of those who felt able to take a small step toward ant furniture. The style took its name from a
the grandeur that the rich and powerful enjoyed German cartoon series that made a joke of the
(8.33 and 8.34). habits of the German bourgeois that tended to
follow fashions set by French stylistic trends—
Provincial furniture varies somewhat from particularly the Empire style. Made for a
one region of France to another, but it always middle-class public, Biedermeier furniture was
takes elements from the high styles of Louis XIV of considerable elegance, consisting of simple
or XV and simplifies them. Carved detail tends and practical forms which carried restrained
to be florid and curvilinear, but the material is ornamentation (8.35). Various woods were used,
usually solid (as distinguished from veneered) often of lighter colors (maple, birch, or elm) with
wood, most often oak, walnut, or one of the black painted details. Marquetry ornamentation
woods of fruit trees (apple, cherry, or pear, for is used in some of the larger chests and cabinets.

8.33 French Provincial
kitchen; now displayed
in the Musée Fragonard,
Grasse, France.

This kitchen is typical of those
that would have existed in
the south of France between
the sixteenth and nineteenth
centuries. The tiled stove offers
improved means of cooking,
but the open fireplace on the
right survives in its traditional
role. There is no ornamentation
other than the moldings
along the lower edge of the
smoke hood.

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 187

8.34 French Provincial bed-
sitting room; now displayed
in the Musée Fragonard,
Grasse, France.

Rooms similar to this would
have been found in country
houses in the south of France
in the eighteenth or nineteenth
centuries. The carved fireplace
surround and mantel introduce
a degree of elegance, while
a handsome bed fits into the
arched and curtained alcove.
A simple striped wallpaper cov-
ers the walls.

8.35 Biedermeier sofa,
c. 1830.

The great simplicity of detail,
along with the elegant flowing
curvature of the ends of this
couch is characteristic of the
Biedermeier simplification
of the more elaborate
furniture forms of the
French Empire period.

188 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

Seating furniture was generally upholstered, a style most clearly developed in Spain in only
usually with cover fabric of velvet, often striped. one vast building, the Escorial (8.37). Commis-
Matching upholstery and drapery fabrics were sioned by Philip II, it was begun in 1562 by Juan
popular. From its south German base, the Bie- Bautista de Toleda (d. 1567), who had studied in
dermeier style spread northward, as well as into Rome with Michelangelo, and completed in 1582
Austria and Switzerland. by Juan de Herrera (c. 1530–97). It is a huge rec-
tangle that holds, arranged around fifteen inner
SPAIN courtyards, a monastery, a college, a multilevel
church, and, projecting from the rear, a royal
The Renaissance in Spain developed through palace. The plan is said to be intended to suggest
the importing of ideas from Italy and, much the gridiron on which St. Lawrence is supposed
later, through influences from France. In Spain, to have been martyred. The exterior is a sym-
these stylistic directions came into contact metrical, sternly simple block of gray granite
with the preexisting Spanish traditions, which with towers at each corner. Within, the innumer-
mingled European Gothic architecture and the able rooms are arranged around courts to serve
architecture and design of Islamic (Moorish) varied functions. The library of the monastery is
culture. The term Mudéjar is used to describe ornate, colorful, and Italianate in style, while the
work of the late Middle Ages and early Renais- great domed church, simple and dark except for
sance (from about 1200 to 1700) in which an elaborate reredos behind and above the altar,
Moorish and Christian traditions are inter- communicates an ominous quality that seems
mixed. The geometric ornament that appears to relate to the infamous Spanish Inquisition of
in wood, plasterwork, and tile, and the use of the same period. This one building dominates
bright colors (reds, greens, and particularly the Desornamentado and served as a model for
blues and white) are Mudéjar characteristics the austere, simple, and stern interiors of lesser
that influenced subsequent Spanish design. buildings of the time. Walls were usually of stone
or plaster, and were sometimes hung with cloth
Plateresco or leather. There was a minimum of furniture,
which was of generally Italianate character with
The term Plateresco is used to identify work little ornamentation, and which served practical
of the early Spanish Renaissance because, it functions, but with little concern for comfort.
is thought, of its relationship to the work of
plateros—silver (or gold) smiths who developed Churrigueresco
a vocabulary of florid ornamentation. From about
1475 until 1550, ornamental details from Italian The following and final phase of the Spanish
work intermingled with Moorish details to form Renaissance, known by the stylistic term of
a distinctive mixture. Granada Cathedral (8.36; Churrigueresco, extends from about 1650 to
1529), a Gothic structure, was detailed in Plater- 1780 and parallels Baroque and Rococo styles
esque style by Diego de Siloe (c. 1495–1563) with elsewhere. The term is derived from the name of
classical moldings and column capitals and the José Churriguera (1665–1725), who was a major
huge iron screen or reja that guards the royal exponent of the style. It can be understood as a
chapel there. It is a fine example of the metalwork reaction against the austerity of Desornamen-
characteristic of Spanish church interiors. tado, an extreme reaction which led to surface
ornamentation of the most exuberant and color-
Desornamentado ful sort. The most striking examples are in
church interiors such as that of the sacristy of La
Around 1500, a new and more reserved style Cartuja in Granada (1713–47), possibly designed
known as Desornamentado appeared in the by Luis de Arevalo and Fray Manuel Vázquez,
never-completed palace of Charles  V at the where the walls are covered with a frosting of
Alhambra in Toledo. The plan is a square with a plaster sculptural decoration that overwhelms
circular central court surrounded by two levels the basically classical forms of columns and
of colonnades of slim columns, Doric below and entablature. In the Gothic cathedral in Toledo,
Ionic above. The somewhat academic classicism Narciso Tomé designed an insert (completed in
of this building belongs to the High Renaissance, 1732) known as the Transparente, which was
placed so as to make the sacrament displayed

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 189

8.36 Diego de Siloe, choir
with high altar, Granada
Cathedral, 1529.

A double-aisled nave leads to
an east-end choir in the form of
a rotunda. Classical forms are
used with rich decorative detail
typical of the Plateresco style.

there visible through a small window (the source painted ornament, admits light that beams down
of the name) from the ambulatory where it passes on the Transparente itself in a highly theatri-
behind the altar. The window itself is almost cal fashion. Such extremes of Spanish Baroque
lost in the vast complication of Churrigueresco design found their way to Latin America along
sculptural ornament that surrounds it, and is with the Spanish conquerors and became the
piled upward into the vaulting where a kind of basis for the religious architecture and design of
dormer, itself surrounded with sculptured and those regions.

190 Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain

Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo in France and Spain 191

8.37 (left) Juan Bautista de To-
leda and Juan de Herrera, the
church of the Escorial, near
Madrid, Spain, 1562–82.

The domed church at the
center of the Escorial complex,
with its high altar and richly
painted reredos and vaulted
ceiling, stands within a space of
grey granite of a most solemn,
even ominous quality. Philip II,
the king whose project this
was, had a palace area extend-
ing behind the church and
arranged for hidden windows
to be built into his bedroom so
that he could
have a view of the altar from
a location high up on the right.

8.38 (above right) Spanish arm- Furniture and Other Interior Features were often imported from Italy, but Spanish
chair, Kunstindustri-museet, manufacture of damask, brocade, and velvet
Copenhagen, Furniture of the Spanish Renaissance is gener- developed under Italian influence. Communi-
late sixteenth century. ally simple, often almost crude, with its basis cation with the Low Countries made Flemish
in the Italian Early Renaissance. Chairs, tables, tapestries available. Chair seats and wall hang-
The design of the massive and chests of walnut, oak, pine, and cedar were ings were often of velvet. Leather was used
wooden frame in this Spanish common (8.38). Massive armchairs were some- widely as an alternative to textiles, and Spanish
chair is similar to that of Italian times made with stretchers at front and back leather crafts, centered on Córdoba, specialized
designs of the same period. The hinged so that the chair could be folded flat for in finishing, coloring, tooling, and emboss-
seat and back are of stretched, moving about. The Vargueño (8.39), a special ing leather. Cordovan leather became a highly
tooled leather secured to the development of Spanish furniture makers, is a regarded Spanish export. Metalwork of high
frame with ornamental tacks. drop-fronted case or writing cabinet that stands quality provided elaborately ornamented
on a detachable base. The front drops to provide candlesticks and wall brackets, while can-
8.39 (above far right) Span- a writing surface (supported by pull-outs in the dles remained the only source of artificial
ish vargueño, seventeenth base) and exposes an interior divided to provide light. The brazier, a metal container on a metal
century. many storage compartments and drawers. The stand, served to hold burning charcoal as  a
closed exterior may be plain or decorated, but portable source of heat to augment open-
This cabinet with a drop-front the interior is invariable richly ornamented with fireplace heating.
could be used as a writing desk. carved and often gilded detail, so that open-
The body of the cabinet is filled ing the door exposes an extremely rich internal Under Charles V of Spain, the Netherlands came
with drawers and compart- display. Probably because of its practical use as under Spanish rule. In the Low Countries, Span-
ments for the storage of docu- a container for documents and valuables such ish influences interlaced with ideas that flowed
ments and valuables. Closing as coins and jewels which had become common from France, and from northern Germany
and locking the front makes the possessions of the wealthy (with no bank where the Protestant Reformation developed as
contents secure. vaults for safekeeping), the vargueño was often an alternative to the Roman church. With Eng-
imported into Italy and France where it can be land close across the English Channel and with
seen in the rooms of châteaux and palaces. trade between these areas active, it was inevita-
ble that a transfer of ideas into England would
Silk weaving as developed in Spain used take place. The next chapter will deal with the
brightly colored patterns and rich embroidery, resulting developments in design.
often with threads of silver or gold. Textiles



CHAPTER NINE

Renaissance to Georgian in the
Low Countries and England

9.1 John Webb, double The northward movement of Renaissance ideas was also king of Spain, and the influence of the
cube room, Wilton House, continued into Holland and Flanders (now the Protestant Reformation. The Catholic regime in
Wiltshire, England, 1648–50. Netherlands and Belgium) and to the British Spain, particularly during the reign of Philip II,
Webb had been an assistant Isles. The movement of ideas, unlike the move- was brought into direct conflict with the reli-
to Inigo Jones, who was the ment of goods or peoples, does not need to flow gious teachings of Luther and Calvin. Opposition
original architect of the house, in a continuous stream, but can make leaps to Spanish rule led to the emergence of the Dutch
which was damaged by a fire in both space and time. Ideas that originated in nation, which eventually won independence
in 1647. The term “double Italy moved into these regions by way of Spain, from Spain by the Treaty of Münster in 1648.
cube” refers to the geometry France, and Germany, but they were also con-
of the space. The basically veyed directly by individual travelers and In 1566, Protestant anger against repres-
simple form is filled with white by printed materials. Increasing trade, both sion, especially in the form of the Inquisition,
and gold paneling, Van Dyck overland and by ship, meant that an increas- was expressed through the growth of Calvin-
portraits, and a fabulously ing portion of the population were able to see ism, with its doctrinal opposition to religious
decorated, coved ceiling, new things in faraway places and to bring home imagery thought to be too closely identified
with lush paintings by Edward ideas from abroad. with Catholicism. The Iconoclastic Revolt, in
Pierce (c. 1635–95). The cen- which churches were stripped of Gothic sculp-
tral oval provides a view into LOW COUNTRIES ture, painting, and other decoration (regarded
a fantastic dome. The gilded as representative of Catholic traditions), left
and ornamented furniture by The Netherlands, parts of Belgium, and what interiors plain, white-painted, and flooded with
William Kent (c. 1685–1748) was formerly called Flanders developed a Renais- light from the clear glass windows that replaced
suggests an awareness of sance design vocabulary that is distinct from the destroyed stained glass (9.2). During and
French Rococo themes. those of neighboring regions. The complex after this period of conflict, artists in the Low
political history of the region and certain distinc- Countries produced work that documents the
9.2 Frans Hagenberg, en- tive traditions and social conditions were factors everyday life of the times in immense detail.
graving showing Protestant that help to explain the special character of Bruegel’s paintings of peasant life often show
Iconoclasts in Antwerp, Dutch and Flemish design. The political turmoil scenes in taverns or farm interiors. The works of
August 20, 1566. of the sixteenth century resulted from the con- Jan Steen, Jan Vermeer, and many other Dutch
Protestants, in their rage flict between the power of the Habsburg Empire painters are full of wonderfully detailed images
against Catholicism, went under Charles V (born at Ghent in 1500), who of the interiors of comfortable houses of the
on a rampage destroying middle class and wealthy burghers who lived
religious paintings, sculpture, with an interesting mixture of simplicity and
and stained glass. Churches luxury in the town houses of Dutch cities.
and monasteries suffered
irreparable damage. Civic Buildings

Architects such as Cornelis Floris (1514–75)
introduced the use of classical orders into build-
ings that were otherwise medieval in spirit, such
as the spectacular Antwerp town hall (1561), or
the Leiden town hall (1597) by Lieven de Key
(c. 1560–1627), a native of Antwerp. The Leiden
building mixes classical pilasters and pediments
with a local style of ornamentation, making use

193

194 Renaissance to Georgian in the Low Countries and England

of fretting, strapwork, and grotesque ornamenta- for simplicity rather than elaboration. The domi- 9.3 P. Philippe (after Toorenv-
tion in a style illustrated in the books ofVredeman nant social class was made up of merchants, liet), a banquet at
de Vries, such as his Architectura of 1577–81. officials, and professionals. They were pros- the Mauritshuis in honor
Strapwork became popular as interior ornamen- perous, even wealthy, but they lived in houses of Charles II of England,
tation developed in woodcarving and in plaster. that did not strive for extravagance and display. The Hague, c. 1660.
Strapwork plaster ceilings found their way to Awareness of Renaissance ideas came from art-
England through the work of Dutch and Flemish ists and musicians who went to Italy to study This engraved copy of Toorenv-
craftsmen and gradually came to exemplify Early and work, but there was no effort to imitate or liet’s painting shows
Renaissance design there. equal the great buildings of Italy and France. a generally simple Dutch
Trade, carried on by the Dutch merchant fleet, interior with a few touches of
The Mauritshuis (c. 1633) in The Hague by brought both knowledge and actual objects from Renaissance decoration on the
Jacob van Campen (1633–5), an architect who remote locations. Oriental carpets and other tex- walls and in the central upper
had traveled to Italy where he became acquain- tiles, and oriental porcelains, were introduced gallery. Most of the ornamental
ted with the designs of Palladio and Scamozzi, is into Dutch interiors; Chinese lacquer came into detail is temporary decoration
a square block using a full-height order of Ionic use as a furniture finish. for the festivity in progress.
pilasters and a central pediment. It is Palladian
in character except for its high roof. The inte- The typical medieval Dutch house survived 9.4 Cornelis de Man,
riors were destroyed in a fire in 1704, but some into the Renaissance era. It was a narrow, multi- The Gold Weigher, c. 1670–75.
idea of their design can be gained from a set of story building, where the ground floor was often
thirty-nine drawings done in 1652 by Pieter a shop, the top floor a warehouse. The living A Dutch merchant is shown
Post. Classical pilasters and molding appear in floors between generally had large windows conducting his business in a
the major rooms. There is an unusual windowed that took advantage of the increasing avail- room of his comfortable home.
cupola above the coved ceiling of the banquet- ability of glass, plain white walls, and a floor of Wooden beams form the ceil-
ing hall (9.3) on the upper story, which appears marble squares or tiles. Wood came to be used ing, and the floor is tiled in gray
in  an engraving showing King Charles  II of for some paneling or trim (9.4). Pottery and tiles and brown stone squares. The
England being entertained there as a guest in made in Delft were a distinctive part of the Dutch wall at the rear and the mantel
1660. There was close communication between shelf are of carefully crafted
the Low Countries and England; the designs of wood, and painted tiles edge
many seventeenth-century houses in England the fireplace. The table legs dis-
resemble the Mauritshuis in their four-square play the bulbous forms of the
simplicity and classicism. Dutch Baroque. The curtained
arch gives access
to the alcove bed.

Private Dwellings

The unique character of Dutch Renaissance inte-
riors reflects several circumstances that were
special to this time and place. The political trou-
bles of the wars with Spain left the Netherlands
without a powerful and dominating aristocratic
class. Palaces and châteaux were not important
building types, and Protestant churches aimed

Renaissance to Georgian in the Low Countries and England 195

9.5 Jan Vermeer, A Young decorative vocabulary: plates and platters were lutes, of thin, soft wood and were then painted
Woman Standing at a Virginal, treated as decorative display items, while tiles or decorated with patterned, printed papers.
Delft, Netherlands, c. 1670. with painted images edged walls. Tiles were usu- Chairs were similar to Italian and Spanish exam-
National Gallery, London. ally white, with painted figures, scenes, ships, ples of the same period.
and flowers most often in blue. Usually each tile
The subject has been playing carried a single image, often with a decorative During the seventeenth century, massive
the small keyboard instrument, border, but large scenes painted to cover many storage cabinets with rich Baroque detailing
a box-like case with a simple tiles were also produced, providing an effect sim- came into use. Since closets were not provided
exterior but rich painting within. ilar to that of scenic wallpapers. Dutch tiles came as part of the fixed structure of houses, such
The room in which it stands to be widely known and were often exported to pieces became important as wealth made possi-
is of elegant simplicity, with a England and, eventually, to America. ble the acquisition of much clothing and objects
black and white tiled floor, of every sort. Panels, carvings, rare woods, and
a wall base of painted tiles, Classical elements, moldings, and col- classically derived details such as moldings
and a window of leaded glass. umns appear as ornament on the exteriors of and columns appeared in furniture. Bulbous
Only the fine paintings suggest buildings, but only to a very limited extent in feet and table legs were favorite Baroque details.
the higher status that the interiors. Furniture was often large in scale and A growing interest in scientific concerns, in
house represents. handsomely detailed. Beds were often enclosed exploration and discovery, is reflected by the
in built-in, box-like Dutch bed spaces or, when presence of world and celestial globes, various
free-standing, were canopied and draped. Orien- musical and scientific instruments, maps and
tal rugs, imported by Dutch merchant shipping, charts. Framed works of art are displayed along-
appear as table covers, but only rarely on floors. side handsome pottery, glassware, and silver
Music was an important part of Renaissance life or pewter containers. In spite of the sense of
in the Low Countries—the fine harpsichords affluence that stems from the rich variety of pos-
and  virginals made by the Ruckers family in sessions present in Dutch interiors, objects are
Antwerp appear in many Vermeer paintings always placed without crowding, against plain
(9.5). They were usually made, like violins or and spacious backgrounds, in a way that com-
municates comfort along with simplicity.

The Low Countries lacked both quarries to
provide stone suitable for building and forests
as sources of a plentiful wood supply. As a res-
ult, brick, with stone restricted to some details,
became the major building material. Wood was
used only where it was indispensable, as in
roofs and upper floor structures.

ENGLAND

The familiar pattern of Renaissance develop-
ment through early, middle, and late phases can
be traced in England, although stylistic termi-
nology breaks up each phase into subdivisions
named after successive royal reigns. English
design was not as dominated by royal patronage
as in the parallel periods in France, and styles
often overlap. The usual period terminology is
retained here, nevertheless, since it is widely
used even if occasionally confusing.

Tudor

The first evidence of awareness of Renaissance
developments appears toward the end of the
Middle Ages in the time of the Tudor monarchs,
Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Queen

196 Renaissance to Georgian in the Low Countries and England

Mary. The term Tudor is often associated with sky, while surrounding galleries provided seats 9.6 Long Gallery, Haddon Hall,
the appearance of half-timber wood build- for those who could pay for a better location. A Derbyshire, England, c. 1530.
ing which remained the usual vernacular style stage in front was partially covered by a shed
until well into the seventeenth century, but it roof. The construction was of medieval timber The Renaissance interior includes
also defines the period when Italianate detail framing, and the architectural ornamentation detailed paneling incorporating
first began to appear in ornamentation, in trim was minimal. motifs borrowed from Italian
around doors and fireplaces, in paneling, and in Renaissance practice. Such
details of furniture. At Haddon Hall in Derby- The first fully Elizabethan “great house” (as design elements, along with the
shire, the typically medieval agglomeration of the mansions, comparable to the French châteaux, plaster strapwork of the ceiling,
building that made up this large manor house are called in Europe) is Longleat (begun 1568), a reached England by way of the
was brought up to date by the introduction of a virtual palace designed, it is thought, by Robert Low Countries. The sparse pieces
Tudor long gallery (9.6). This approaches sym- Smythson (1535–1614) and built for Sir John of furniture present are
metry in its plan, introduces along its south side Thynne to be ready for a visit by the queen in of typical Jacobean character.
large windows made up of many small panes 1574. The house is a near-square rectangle, sym-
of glass, has a plaster ceiling ornamented with metrical on all sides, with two inner courtyards. 9.7 Sitting room, Plas Mawr,
strapwork (no doubt the work of craftsmen The exterior is divided into three stories by Conwy, Wales, c. 1577.
from the Low Countries), and wooden pan- entablature bands and projecting window bays
eling where pilasters and arches can be seen are trimmed with classical pilasters. Windows are This modest, low-ceilinged
in arrangements suggesting Palladianism. The many and large. The rooms are arranged in a com- room has been carefully
room dates from about 1530, although some of plex plan, Tudor in its irregular spirit, but fitted preserved because it was once
the ornamental detail may be later. The pan- used by Queen Elizabeth I when
eling of natural oak, the primary wood of the she visited Wales. The leaded
period, establishes the dominant color tone. glass windows, stone fireplace,
elaborate plasterwork, and
Elizabethan simple furniture are all typical
of the Elizabethan interior.
The Elizabethan era (1558–1603) is gener-
ally recognized as a time of English greatness.
The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588
established English sea power and opened up
possibilities for economic development that
came from international trade and, eventually,
colonialism. As power and wealth flowed into
England, interest in the arts expanded: not only
the poetry and drama of Shakespeare, and the
music of William Byrd, but also the developing
arts of Italy, France, and the Low Countries. The
transition from Tudor to Elizabethan design is
gradual, with increasing emphasis on symmetry
and classical concepts of planning, along with a
more frequent introduction of Italianate classical
detail. Some well-preserved rooms in the house
in Conwy called Plas Mawr (9.7; c. 1577) seem
medieval in their irregular shapes, low ceilings,
stone or planked floors, and leaded glass win-
dows; but details of cornices and carved stone
trim around fireplaces have a classical basis. Ceil-
ings of strapwork plaster reflect the continuing
contact with Holland and Flanders.

The recent reconstruction of the Globe
Theater, where many of Shakespeare’s plays
were first performed, gives a good idea of what
such a building was like. It was circular (or octag-
onal) with a central area (the “pit”) open to the

Renaissance to Georgian in the Low Countries and England 197

9.8 (above) Robert Smythson, into the order established by the exterior. Most of of more carved, ornamental detail, and in the
Long Gallery, Hardwick Hall, the interiors have been changed and redecorated development of some new types. One such was
Derbyshire, England, 1591–7. over the years so that a better idea of interior the court cupboard—actually an open shelf
spaces can be had at Hardwick Hall (1591–7), a unit with three tiers intended for the display of
The gallery is on the uppermost considerably smaller great house, probably also silver ornamental and serving pieces. The sup-
floor of one of the most mag- designed by Smythson. Its symmetrical block ports and edges of the shelves were carved with
nificent of English Elizabethan is a rectangle with six projecting bays that a richness intended to equal the silver on view.
“great houses.” Huge windows rise one extra story above roof level. The exte- In large houses, extremely large beds were made
in bays on the right flood the rior is without ornament except for moldings with a roof-like wooden canopy supported by
space with light. The walls are at each story level, marking off the low ground headboard and foot posts that often stood free
covered with tapestries, and level, the middle-height second level occupied of the bed itself. In addition to simple square
the fireplaces and chimney by rooms for everyday living, and the highest chairs with more or less carving, chairs were
breasts above are of ornately third level where the major ceremonial rooms often made up of many lathe turnings, often
carved stonework in an Ital- are located. The towers extend above, ending in three main turned uprights making a chair with
ianate style. The paintings and a picturesque topping of strapwork ornament. a triangular seat. The ease with which a turner
most of the furniture are The entrance hall is a double-height room with can make Spool and knob forms led to designs
of a later date, but the plaster a gallery, which recalls medieval practice, but of curious complexity. A massive folding chair
strapwork ceiling is original. is supported by four correctly detailed Doric known as a Glastonbury chair also appeared
columns. Wood paneling with tapestries above (9.9), often with a carved back suggesting a
9.9 (above right) Glastonbury covers the walls; fireplace detail is classical, but two-arch arcade. Oak remained the usual wood,
chair, sixteenth century. the chimney breast above is covered with plas- although ash, yew, chestnut, and other woods
ter strapwork. Wide stairs lead to the upper level were sometimes used. Upholstery was limited
where a long gallery runs the length of the build- to an occasional cushion or a covering of cloth,
ing along one side (9.8). This room is  entirely sometimes embroidered with Turkey-work.
symmetrical with twin stone fireplaces and Colors were usually the natural tones of wood,
twin window bays. The exterior wall is largely stone, and plaster, with details sometimes
window; other walls are covered with tapestry, painted in rich reds and dark greens.
and the ceiling has restrained strapwork detail.
Other rooms at Hardwick are fine examples of the Jacobean
Elizabethan balance of almost modern simplicity
along with luxury and grandeur. The Jacobean period (1603–49) takes its name
from James I, but also includes the reign of
Elizabethan Furniture Charles I. Hatfield House (from 1608) is an irreg-
ular although symmetrical block, U-shape in
Elizabethan furniture differs from Tudor and plan. It is really two houses (intended as guest
earlier medieval practice in the introduction

198 Renaissance to Georgian in the Low Countries and England

9.10 Great Hall, Hatfield
House, Hertfordshire,
England, from 1608.

The Marble Hall is a Jacobean
English interior of exceptional
richness. There was an underly-
ing intention to recall the hall
of medieval castles, but in this
“great house” the theme has
been transformed by richly
carved woodwork and an or-
nate painted plaster ceiling. The
woodwork, hanging tapestries,
and elaborately carved furniture
contrast with the simple tiled
floor.

accommodation for the king and queen) linked arcade, pilasters, and, for the entrance element,
by a connecting block containing a “hall” in the classical columns. A fantastic clock tower tops it
style of a castle (9.10), a long gallery, and many off. Within, elaborate paneling, carving, classi-
other rooms. Most of the exterior is quite plain cally columned fireplaces, and plaster strapwork
red brick with large windows. A central façade, show off the Jacobean mix of Italian and Dutch
the work of Robert Lyming (c. 1560–1628), is influences. The status and power of the aristo-
of Italian marble in an Italianate style with an cratic owners is symbolized in such interiors.