JONES, Inigo

(1573-1652)

   Inigo Jones was the first architect in England to work consistently in the classical style adapted from Ancient Roman sources and seen in the Renaissance work of Andrea Palladio, whom Jones had studied while traveling in the Veneto. Jones is considered the leading proponent of Palladian architectural classicism during the Baroque age, for it was through a careful study of Palladio's Renaissance treatise I quattro libri dell'architettura, first published in 1570 and widely available in England by the 1600s, that Jones defined his own classical style. Jones's own copy of Palladio's treatise, filled with his own notes, is preserved today. Jones can also be credited with leading the shift away from Mannerism and toward a "purer" form of classicism that also drew upon the ideas of Leon Battista Alberti, Donato Bramante, Sebastiano Serlio, and Vincenzo Scamozzi in Italy.

   England during this time was largely influenced by Italian culture, as can be seen in the writings of Shakespeare and the establishment in the next century of the English tourist industry that focused on Italy. Both James I of Scotland, who began his rule in Britain in 1603, and his son, Charles I, were avid patrons of art and literature. Despite this support, however, clashes between Protestant and Catholic powers led to instability during this century, and that is why most painters and sculptors were foreign-born artists invited to the Stuart court. The native Jones, however, sought to not only develop the ornate Jacobean architecture in England toward a simpler version of classicism, but he also injected this new classical Baroque style with a more theoretical framework, thereby helping to ennoble both historical construction and the profession of architecture in England. Jones was already an active member of the court, working on stage sets for the theater and temporary scenery for dramatic courtly entertainments called masques. His exposure to Palladio's work in Italy occurred when he was an artistic advisor for such wealthy collectors as Lord Arundel. Upon his return from Italy in 1615 Jones was appointed Royal Surveyor of the Works, in charge of all royal architectural commissions for the Stuart court.

   In 1619, Inigo Jones was commissioned by James I to rebuild an early Tudor style house that had burned to the ground. This new structure, the Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace in London, became the center of English courtly society. The stone façade of the Banqueting House is built in two stories of superimposed columns of the Ionic and then the Corinthian order, all of which rest on a basement story that acts to elevate the main floors of the building. Each bay of the seven-bay front reveals windows capped by alternating round and triangular pediments, while the second-story windows are rectangular. The corners of the façade are emphasized with paired pilasters rather than columns, to bring a visual conclusion to the building. Inside, the large hall is in the form of a double cube (110 feet by 55 feet by 55 feet), which is in accordance with Palladio's studies of proportion. This large, unencumbered interior was used mainly for banquets and masques, where spectators could gather in the balcony area above the large hall. Often, a temporary stage was built at one end of the room and musicians might be seated in the balcony above. In 1635, Peter Paul Rubens was commissioned to complete a large canvas painting of the apotheosis of James I, which was installed in the ceiling of the room. This building, with its painting, performance, and architecture, best summarizes the artistic interests of the Stuart court in Baroque England.