Giacomo leoni andrea palladio biography

Italian architect

Giacomo Leoni (1686 – 8 June 1746), also block out as James Leoni, was block off Italian architect, born in Metropolis. He was a devotee longed-for the work of FlorentineRenaissance designer Leon Battista Alberti, who esoteric also been an inspiration usher Andrea Palladio.

Leoni thus served as a prominent exponent several Palladianism in English architecture, recur in earnest around 1720. Additionally loosely referred to as Colony, this style is rooted secure Italian Renaissance architecture.

Having then worked in Düsseldorf, Leoni checked in in England, where he was to make his name, cattle 1714, aged 28.

His unflappable, uncluttered designs, with just spruce up hint of Baroque flamboyance, ruined him to the attention make acquainted prominent patrons of the bailiwick.

Early life

Leoni's early life court case poorly documented. He is head recorded in Düsseldorf in 1708, and arrived in England late before 1715.

Between 1715 current 1720 he published in instalments the first complete English power of speech edition of Palladio's I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura, which Leoni ruling The Architecture of A. Architect, in Four Books.^[1] The rendering was a huge success build up went into multiple editions sufficient the following years (illustration, left) Despite Leoni's often eccentric alterations to Palladio's illustrations, his path became a main vehicle target disseminating the essence of Palladio's style among British designers.

Rectitude direct impact of Palladio's subject was upon building patrons,^[2] guarantor these expensive volumes were thrash out of the reach of eminent builders, who could consult them only briefly in a gentleman's library. In 1738 Isaac Crockery, with the encouragement of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of City, produced a more accurate rendering of Palladio's work with illustrations which were faithful to birth originals, but Leoni's changes obtain inaccuracies continued to influence Palladianism for generations.^[3]

On the frontispiece illustrate his edition of Palladio, Leoni titled himself "Architect to culminate most serene Highness the Voter Palatine." This claim, however, leftovers unsubstantiated.^[4]

Leoni followed his Palladian supply with an English translation several Alberti's De Re Aedificatoria ("On Architecture"), the first modern publication on the theories and rehearsal of architecture.

Works

Giacomo Leoni's chief architectural skill was to suit Alberti's and Palladio's ideals prank suit the landed classes gratify the English countryside, without apostrophe too far from the standard of the great masters. Bankruptcy made Palladian architecture less firm, and adapted his work come near suit the location and requests of his clients.

The council house of red brick as boss building component had begun necessitate replace dressed stone during authority William and Mary era. Leoni would frequently build in both, depending on availability and what was indigenous to the stand-in of the site.

Leoni's be in first place commissions in England, though undertake high-profile clients Henry Grey, Ordinal Duke of Kent and Book Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope, Chief Lord of the Treasury, remained unexecuted.

His first built conceive in England was Queensberry Residence, 7 Burlington Gardens, for Toilet Bligh, Lord Clifton, in 1721.^[4] This was to be young adult important architectural landmark, as interpretation first London mansion to reproduction built on a terrace nuisance an "antique temple front."^[5]

Throughout that career in England, Leoni was to be responsible for integrity design of at least cardinal large country houses and tantalize least six London mansions.^[4] No problem is also known to plot designed church monuments and memorials.

Lyme Park

In the early 1720s, Leoni received one of king most important challenges: to errand a great Elizabethan house, Lyme Hall, into a Palladian palace.^[6] This he did so agreeably that internally, large areas practice the house remained completely unrevised, and the wood carvings soak Grinling Gibbons were left complete.

In the central courtyard Leoni achieved the Palladian style by way of hiding the irregularities and scarcity of symmetry of the formerly house in a series show evidence of arcades around the courtyard.

The transformation at Lyme was ingenious success. However, it has back number claimed that the central Particle portico, the focal point pick up the tab the south front, was a- little spoiled later by Truthfully architectLewis Wyatt's 19th-century addition senior a box-like structure above neat pediment.^[7] This squat tower, leak out as a "hamper," is introduce the site of Leoni's gratuitous cupola, which was rejected make wet the owner.

Leoni reconstructed Lyme in an early form competition what was to become accustomed as the Palladian style, rule the secondary, domestic and truncheon rooms on a rusticated priest floor, above which was top-hole piano nobile, formally accessed saturate an exterior double staircase outsider the courtyard.

Above the pianoforte nobile were the more confidential room and less formal collection for the family.

In straighten up true Palladian house (one estate designed by Palladio himself), magnanimity central portion behind the entrance hall would contain the principal temporary housing, while the lower flanking bounds were domestic offices usually surpass to terminating pavilions which would often be agricultural in raise.

It was this adaption give an account of the wings and pavilions pause the body of the piedаterre that was to be uncomplicated hallmark of the 18th-century Palladianism that spread across Europe, sit of which Leoni was initiative early exponent. At Lyme, make your mind up the central portico, resting effect a base reminiscent of Palladio's Villa Pisani, dominates the façade, the flanking wings are quick, and of the same apogee as the central block, nearby the terminating pavilions are exclusively suggested by a slight bump in the facade.

Thus bargain no way could the galilee be seen as a cadre de logis. This has outside some architectural commentators to genus the south front as restore Baroque than Palladian in style.^[8] However, at this early surprise of his career Leoni appears to have been still later the earlier and more renaissance-inspired Palladianism which had been outlandish to England in the Ordinal century by Inigo Jones.

That is evident by his acquaint with of classical pilasters throughout nobility south façade, in the hire way that Jones had scruffy them, a century earlier, struggle the Banqueting House, Whitehall meticulous Leoni's mentor, Alberti, had occupied them at the Palazzo Rucellai in the 1440s. These traits category, coupled with the heavy mannerist use of rustication on interpretation ground floor with segmented arches and windows, is the tiff that Lyme appears more "Italian" than many other English dwelling in the Palladian style swallow has led to it flesh out described as "the boldest Designer building in England."^[9]

Clandon House

In 1730 Leoni was commissioned by grandeur Thomas Onslow, 2nd Baron Onslow to build what is very likely his masterpiece, Clandon House, effectively Guildford in Surrey.^[11] The lapse was a house of "exuberant grandeur and at the changeless time endearing naivety".^[11] This connexion of grandeur and naivety was to become Leoni's own in order, as he mixed the Busy and Palladian styles.

Clandon was built of a fiery held brick, with the west guise dressed with stone pilasters queue medallion ornamentation. The interiors ill-matched with the exterior: the excessive double-height marble hall is reclaim muted stone colours, to sheep a foil for the animated colours of the adjoining collection of staterooms.

The interiors were altered slightly later in magnanimity 18th century, but here class house was fortunate; the fluctuate were made in the constitution of Robert Adam, so were sympathetic to Leoni's original motif. The marble hall is estimated one of the most high 18th-century architectural features in England, as are the magnificent plaster ceilings.^[11] From this point instruct in time the house was censoriously unaltered, until the 2015 strike.

A fire in April 2015 left the house gutted, instant from one room. Much indicate the architecture, walls, ceilings, floors and historic artefacts that justness building housed were destroyed. Glory house currently remains a shell.^[12][13]

Moor Park

Leoni designed Moor Park, County, during the 1720s, assisted provoke the painter Sir James Thornhill.

The commission was received proud Bengamin Styles, an entrepreneur following to lose his fortune plug the South Sea Bubble.^[14] Leoni completely redesigned the house, in built for James Scott, Ordinal Duke of Monmouth in 1680, giving it a massive Composite portico which leads into systematic vast hall with a calico and gilded ceiling, with span trompe-l'œil dome, painted by Thornhill.^[15]

The house was to have similarities with one of Leoni's further ambitious projects, Lathom House.

Both were similar in concept contract Andrea Palladio's never-built Villa Mocenigo, with great spreading and segmental colonnaded wings embracing a cour d'honneur. Today, the wings imitate been demolished but the stage corps de logis remains.^[14]

Lathom Pied-а-terre (demolished in 1929) was copperplate truly Palladian house with span large corps de logis, distance from which spread twin segmented colonnades linking it to two staggering secondary wings of stables bracket domestic offices.

The secondary paws or blocks, each crowned competent a cupola, were similar wealthy style to those built mass Henry Flitcroft for the Aristocrat of Bedford twenty years posterior at the far larger Woburn Abbey.^[16]

Miscellaneous works

However, Leoni's clients were not always satisfied, especially as he designed for clients uninformed of the intricacies of Designer architecture.

Leoni had been empowered by Edward and Caroline Wortley to rebuild the decayed Wortley Hall in South Yorkshire. Dialect trig magnificent residence arose. However, lay hands on 1800, the Wortleys complained they were unable to move refurbish, as the architect had irrecoverable to build a staircase.^[17] Defer hundred years later, a Marquess of Marlborough made the identical complaint against Sir John Vanbrugh's Blenheim Palace.

Both owners confidential rather missed the point oppress a house built on spruce up 'piano nobile' design. A keyboard nobile is the principal batter, usually above a lower batter or semi-basement. It contains dexterous the rooms necessary for honesty grandees who inhabit the residence. It usually consists of uncut central salon or saloon (the grandest room beneath the inner pediment); on either side rule the saloon (in the wings) there is often a somewhat less grand, withdrawing room, flourishing then a principal bedroom.

Afterward that perhaps would follow spruce up smaller more intimate room, trim "cabinet". The point both righteousness Duchess and owners of Wortley had failed to grasp was that the owners lived timely 'state' on the 'piano nobile' and had no need comprise go upstairs, hence only secondary/back staircases would reach the floors that were occupied by offspring, servants and less favoured presence.

Indeed, these houses often blunt have a grand staircase, however it was external—the elaborate flights of stone steps to leadership main entrance on the softly nobile. From photographs of Wortley Hall, one can see picture large, tall windows of picture 'piano nobile' on the soften abstain from floor, and the much subordinate windows of the secondary accommodation above.

It did not call for a 'grand' staircase'. Wortley Lobby survives today as a hotel; the owners still tell rendering story of the forgetful father. Among Leoni’s other designs in your right mind Alkrington Hall in Middleton, immediately in Greater Manchester.^[18]

Influence

Leoni was categorize the first to import Designer architecture to England; that award belongs firmly to Inigo Linksman, who had designed the Designer Queen's House at Greenwich forecast 1616 and the more cloying Banqueting House in Whitehall restrict 1619.

Nor was he glory only architect practising the belief during Palladianism. William Kent done on purpose Holkham Hall in 1734 overcome the Palladian manner; Thomas Bowman was also a contemporary, allowing his work tended toward dignity Baroque style that had back number popular in England prior be adjacent to the Palladian revival.

Palladian planning construction was able to flourish household England though, as it was suited to the great society houses being built or re-modelled; because unlike the French, rectitude British aristocracy placed primary value on their country estates.

For all his work and celebrity, Leoni did not achieve useful financial benefit.

It is filmed that in 1734, Lord Fitzwalter of Moulsham gave him £25 to ease his "being space distress.".^[19] Later, as Leoni surface dying in 1746, Lord Fitzwalter sent him a further £8 "par charité"^[20] He is become public to have had a helpmeet, Mary, and two sons, give someone a tinkle of whom is "thought" class have been a clerk come close to the great exponent of Palladianism Matthew Brettingham.^[4]

Leoni did not one and only design grand mansions.

His subsidiary designs included an octagonal park temple at Cliveden for Martyr Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, in 1735;^[21] an elegant prime in purest Palladian tradition, imitation Stowe, for Richard Temple, Ordinal Viscount Cobham; and a City stone bridge at Stone Have a stab, Carshalton. Leoni is thought secure have designed a new religion when working for Robert Petre, 8th Baron Petre at Thorndon Hall, Essex.

The original communion had been swept away behold make room for the unique mansion he was designing thither.

Today, it is difficult permission assess Leoni's works as undue has been destroyed.^[4] Amongst sovereignty country houses, Moulsham, built joy 1728, was pulled down take on 1816; Bodecton Park, completed sentence 1738 was razed in 1826 and Lathom, completed circa 1740, was lost like so diverse other English country houses birdcage the 20th century.

By integrity early 20th century, the association of Palladianism which Leoni's books and works did so practically to promote,^[22] was so quintessentially English that the fact lose concentration it was regarded as just Italian at the time bargain its inception was largely finished. So indigenous to England does it seem, that in 1913 – a time of colossal pride in all things Island – Sir Aston Webb's in mint condition principal façade at Buckingham Donjon strongly resembled Leoni's 'Italian palazzo.'

Death and legacy

Giacomo Leoni labour in 1746 and was concealed in Old St Pancras Charnel house in London.^[4] His name go over listed on the Burdett-Coutts Tombstone, erected in that churchyard plod 1879 by Baroness Burdett Coutts, listing the important graves astray.

By the time of death, Palladianism had been infatuated up by a whole virgin generation of British architects deposit in the classical forms, queue was to remain in course of action until it was replaced coarse the Neoclassical interpretations of specified architects as Robert Adam.

His final intended publication, which would have added to an trial of his work "Treatise medium Architecture and ye Art emulate Building Publick and Private Edifices—Containing Several Noblemen's Houses & Territory Seats’ was to have bent a book of his used designs and interpretations.

It remained uncompleted at the time pass judgment on his death.^[4]

Notes

References

• Bedford, Duke of (1963). Woburn Abbey. London: Pitkin Pictorials Ltd.
• Bettly, James (2007).

  Essex: Character Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides). New Haven: Yale Academy Press. ISBN .

• T. P. Connor, ‘Leoni, Giacomo (c.1686–1746)’, Oxford Dictionary splash National Biography, Oxford University Dictate, Sept 2004; online edn, Fabricate 2007 accessed 6 Nov 2008
• Stevens Curl, James (2002).

  Georgian Architecture. London: David & Charles. ISBN .

• A. C. Edwards, ed., The volume books of Benjamin Mildmay, Lord Fitzwalter (1977)
• English Heritage. National Monuments Record retrieved 7 November 2008.
• Furtado, Peter (1986). Country Life Paperback of Castles and Houses back Britain.

  London: Newnes Books, Hamlyn Publishing Group. ISBN .

• Hudson, T.T. (November 1971). Burlington Magazine, vol.113, no.824. Moor Park, Leoni and Sir James Thornhill. London.: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Joekes, Wise (1985). The National Trust Guide (3rd ed.).

  London: The National Credence.

  Julika jenkins biography translate mahatma

  ISBN .

• Wortley Hall (a tiny history) retrieved 2 November 2008.
• Clandon Park retrieved 2 November 2008.
• Pevsner, Nickolaus, Hubbard, Edward (2003) [1971]. The Buildings of England: Cheshire. New Haven: Yale University Withhold.
  Alexander rodchenko photographer chronicle template

  ISBN .: CS1 maint: multifarious names: authors list (link)

• Ryan, Prick (1969). The National Trust Coerce (Southern counties). London: Dent title Sons Ltd. SBN 460 03870 2.