(1573-1652)
Inigo Jones first introduced the architectural styles of Palladio to England. His Banqueting House is perhaps his best known work. Originally Cardinal Wolsey's house by the Thames, Henry VIII "appropriated" it after the Cardinal's fall from power. It was enlarged by Henry and remained a royal residence until the reign of William III, who preferred life away from London at Kensington Palace or Hampton Court. After 1619, Inigo Jones built the present Banqueting House on the site. The building is in the severe classical style, with flat roof surrounded by a balustrade. George I converted it into a royal chapel, and in 1894 the building became the Royal United Services Museum, until its restoration in recent years. The ceiling was painted for Charles I by Peter Paul Rubens in 1635 and represents the "Apotheosis of James I" and the "Union of England and Scotland." Ironically, it was in procession under this remarkable ceiling that Charles I marched to his execution.
Sketch of Banqueting House, London (1619)
Banqueting House, Contemporary Print
Banqueting House, London
Banqueting House, London (1619)
The Queen's House, Greenwich, 1616-1635
Masque Set Design of Salmacida Spolio, by William D'Avenant, the Last Pre-Commonwealth Masque. Note Palladian/Neo-Classical Influences