English Neoclassicism

1760 - 1800responds to interiors of ancient Rome

Herculaneum and Pompei discovered—1736 & 1749

Discovery of Pompeii (1749)

and Herculaneum

(1736)

atrium

Pompeii interiors—much lighter in scale, brighter

in color

light of Pompeii is main inspiration of English

Neoclassicism

painting of a fresco from Pompeii with fanciful

architecture & attenuated columns

Vedute di Roma & Carcerai

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, engravings, Italy, 1750-60s

(views of Rome)

popularizes what is discovered in Pompeii—great investigator of Roman architecture

Giovanni Battista Piranesi,

engravings from

Vedute di Roma, Italy,

1750-60s

Nature vs. Man—nature is winning

pleasurable fear

arch framearch frame

more fanciful work

supposed to be a college

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, engravings from, Carcerai, Italy, 1750-60s

personal artistic venture

Robert Adam

English architect—one of first to go on a “Grand

Tour” to finish his studies

Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli

sketch by Adam

The Section and the RuinAdam revives the use of section

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, engravings from Vedute di Roma, Italy, 1750-60s

“frames” or “screens” the view

Robert Adam likes the idea of a screen—

considers the experience before the columns versus after

the columns

The Works in Architecture

Robert & James Adam, London,

1773-79

gesamtkunstwerk—designing everything

Kenwood House

Hampstead Heath, Eng., Robert Adam for Lord Mansfield, 1764-79

Kenwood House

classical design vocabulary—basilica shaped; vaulted with columns

Kenwood House Library

color scheme inspired by Pompeii

•honeysuckle motif

•Aegean spiral

•arabesques

Rinceau—low relief plasterwork

Pier Mirror— enhances the reflection of light

emphasis on interiors, not structure

details are attenuated

and fanciful—inspired by

Pompeii

Adam stays close to the surface— details are not deeply carved

ormolu frames the mirror

classical urns are a popular motif

Keddleston Hall

Derbyshire, Eng., Robert Adam for Lord Scarsdale,

1759-60s

Garden Facade

domedome

triumphal triumphal archarch

pallazopallazo

Entry HallEntry Hallvery ordered and restrained

classical features?

Adam features?

paintings by Angelica

Kauffmann—favored artist of Adam

fireplace tripartite construction—hole, tablet,

pediment

hall saloon

Saloon

inspiration?

Angelica Kauffman paintings

furniture?

Dining Roomproblem with exploded floor plan—

fake doors to maintain symmetry

Osterley Park

Middlesex, Eng., Robert Adam for Lord Child, 1760s-70s

Elizabethan building—100-150 yrs old

Osterley Park, Middlesex , Eng., Robert Adam for Lord Child, 1760s-70s

Adam took an interior scale and put it on the outside

ogee curveogee curve

Osterley Park, Middlesex , Eng., Robert Adam for Lord Child, 1760s-70s

rooms are characterized by elaborate but restrained plasterwork, rich, highly varied color schemes, and a

degree of coordination between decor and furnishings unusual in English neoclassical interiors

ogee curveogee curve

slender and attenuated similar to Pompeii—not true to classical Greece

Entry HallEntry HallLOVES urns on pedestals as decorative elements

•monochromatic—grey and cream

•everything is compartmentalized

•panels reflect windows on other wall

•corinthian columns

•implied coffered ceiling

Entry HallEntry Hall

Long GalleryLong Galleryadded neoclassical touches—crown molding, wall textile,

fireplace surround, ormolu molding (adheres to the textile)

criticized for detail of doorknob

Dining Room

male domain—materials are hard, nothing to “soften” space

fruits & foliage in

response to use of room

(linenfold)

Adam furniture typically delicate and ornamented— casters start to be seen

screen—Piranesi delicate festoons & swags

light fixtures incorporated into

overall design

corinthian columns on main floor more showy than ionic

columns on second floor

LibraryLibrarymale domain—all hard surfaces except valances

wildly colorful—creates a “jigger” tool used to shape plaster

Withdrawing RoomWithdrawing Roomfemale domain—all French Rococo; softer surfaces, wall textile & rug; ceiling and floor respond to one another

Tapestry Room

akin to the antechamber –tapestries made

specifically for the room

female or male?

much warmer, softer space

Bedroom

•Chippendale made bed—most expensive piece of furniture in home•chinoiserie•textile on wall is pleated•female room—gave birth here•pagoda’s tester is reflected on counterpoint

The Etruscan Room

akin to French cabinet— his dressing room

•color scheme—Pompeiian orange, cream & black•inspired by Etruscan vase from Pompeii

•walls are all canvas painted by Angelica Kauffman•green band on ceiling helps to create “square” of ceiling

Desk, Osterley Park, Middlesex , Eng., Robert Adam for Lord Child, 1760s-70s

•clear classical motifs—Aegean spiral, pilasters, tripartite•satinwood—really hard, not very carveable, great for inlay•mahogany used for carved pieces+

dado

body

frieze

artist’s palette—musical

instruments

classic Robert Adam furniture arrangement—uses marquetry and ormolu for ornamentation

commode

•clear symmetry & geometry

•honeysuckle

•urns

•Angelica Kauffman paintings

Commode, Osterley Park, Middlesex , Eng., Robert Adam for Lord Child, 1760s-70s

more ormolu indicates wealth; marquetry more expensive than painting

Lyre Back Chair

•Aegean spiral

•satinwood

•caned seats—Adam doesn’t generally upholster

The Glass Drawing Room, Northumberland House, London, 1773-5

red foil wallpaper, glass mounted on top of that, ormolu holding it in place

kind of Adam’s Mannerist period

model of the space in the Victorian and Albert museum