Description
Book SynopsisSir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726) was one of the most important figures in English garden history although he is rarely recognised as such. An eclectic early career as a merchant, a soldier and a dramatist preceded Vanbrugh's acceptance of the role of architect to the Third Earl of Carlisle in 1699. His impact on architecture was paralleled by a revolution in landscape design as Vanbrugh shifted the place of the architect from the house to the grounds. He used the ancient rules of proportion combined with an empathetic approach to Nature to create innovative layouts that were geometric, but bore no relation to the formal gardens of the seventeenth century.
In Sir John Vanbrugh and the Vitruvian Landscape Caroline Dalton seeks to explain Vanbrugh's distinctive style of landscape architecture. The natural and moral philosophy of Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (Vitruvius), Euclid, Plato and Epicurus is traced through the Arabic scientists of the Middle Ages into the Italian Re
Trade Review
"This lavishly illustrated book is rich in plans and aerial photographs, and the text is both highly erudite and very readable. This is a serious contribution to the history of a very important period in English landscape development" - Historic Gardens Review
"This lavishly illustrated book is rich in plans and aerial photographs, and the text is both highly erudite and very readable. This is a serious contribution to the history of a very important period in English landscape development" - Historic Gardens Review
"Dalton has diligently researched Vanbrugh, creating an excellent survey of his work. This book is certainly for historians of gardens as well as curious readers, like me." - Adele Kleine, Chicago Botanic Garden
Table of Contents1. ‘On ye shoulders of giants’: Philosophy, Science and Landscape from the Ancients to the Moderns 2. The Early Enlightenment in England 3. John Vanbrugh (1664-1726): A Short Biography 4. Influences on Vanbrugh’s Landscape Style 5. Castle Howard, Yorkshire 6. Blenheim, Oxfordshire 7. Kimbolton, Heythrop and Grimsthorpe 8. Claremont, Surrey 9. Kings Weston, Avon 10. Duncombe Park and Sacombe Park 11. Eastbury, Dorset 12. Stowe, Buckinghamshire 13. Seaton Delaval, Northumberland 14. Greenwich and Lumley Castle 15. Vanbrugh’s legacy: Charles Bridgeman and the Vitruvian Landscape 16. Conclusion: ‘An Architect Who Composed like a Painter’
