England and American Colonies. Commonwealth Period through the English Baroque

War of Roses

- conflict between House of York vs. House of Lancaster

- delayed the Renaissance in England

Early Renaissance (Tudor)

- Henry VII and VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I

- Style: Elizabethan

High Renaissance (Jacobean)

- James I, Charles I

- Style: Jacobean

Civil War

- Oliver Cromwell (Puritan rule)

- Style: stark and severe design

Baroque/ Carolean (Restoration)

- Charles II, James II, William and Mary, Queen Anne

- Style: English Baroque

Oliver Cromwell

- led the Commonwealth Period

- design: plain, severe, minimal decoration

English Baroque Architecture Characteristics

- complex floorplan

- monumental scale

- emphasis on central space

- curved/undulating walls

- movement and dynamism

- rich carvings

- luxurious materials (gold, marble)

- integration of architecture + sculpture + painting

English Baroque Architecture Interior Elements

- Corinthian columns

- dramatic lighting

- marble floors (gold, white, black)

Sir Christopher Wren

- important architect

- built St. Paul's Cathedral (London) in the English Baroque Style

St. Paul's Cathedral

- former Cathedral was medieval Gothic

- destroyed in the Great Fire of London (1666)

- main entrance called the West Front

Blenheim Palace

- by Sir John Vanbrugh, Nicholas Hawksmoor

- built for John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough

- to compete with Versailles

Blenheim Palace Features

- English Baroque Style

- Large Scale

- Enfilade room layout

- 3 building blocks connected by colonnades

Blenheim's Great gallery

- 180 feet

- 20th century furniture

- Baroque style fireplace

Blenheim's Saloon

- typically the center room

Grinling Gibbons

- England's finest wood carver

- worked with oak, walnut, fruitwoods

- created swags and garlands

- "The King's Carver"

Louis Laguerre

- French decorative painter

- painted murals at Blenheim

- known for trompe l'oeil (illusionistic painting)

Sarah Churchill

- Duchess of Marlborough

- close friend of Queen Anne

- major trend setter in England

English Baroque Furnitures

- Charles II style, also called Jacobean furniture

- scroll arms

- curved legs

- heavy forms

William and Mary Furniture

- continuation of Jacobean style

- ball turning on legs

- X-shaped stretchers

- Gate-leg tables

- Marquetry decoration

Chinoiserie Influence

- black lacquer furniture

- gold leaf

- Asian landscapes and scenes

- inspired by imported objects like Chinese Coromandel Screens

Colonial America

- colonies depended on England

- colonist were not allowed to manufacture many goods

- resources: timber and tobacco

Colonial America Early homes

- wooden frame house

- shingled roofs

- shuttered windows

Early Settlements

- St. Augustine, FL: oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the US

- Santa Fe, NM: oldest state capital in the US

Colonial Furniture

- influenced by English styles and shipbuilding techniques

Draw Table and Stools

Wainscot Chair

Ladder-back chair

Trestle Table

Hadley Chest

Brewster Chair

Colonial Interiors

- fireplace as the center of home

- wood or stone mantels

- wainscoting

- diaper-pattern window mullions

- rush seats on chairs

Colonial Textiles

- Turkey-work rugs

- rag rugs

- rush rugs

Turkey-work Rugs

- based on Turkish knot weaving

- inspired by Ottoman carpets

Rag Rugs

- made from braided cloth strips

Rush Rugs

- made from plant fibers

- similar to modern sisal rugs

Limner Portraits

- painted by traveling artists

- often untrained

- paid with goods instead of money

Limner Portraits Pigments

- made from: burnt walnuts, chicken bones, eggshells, blueberries, clay and mud

Pewter

- metal alloy used for household items

- composition: tin (85-99%), antimony, copper and sometimes silver

- old ones contained led